Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has resigned from his position, citing health reasons, ahead of his full five-year term, which would expire in 2028.
In a resignation letter to the speaker of parliament, seen by AFP, Shahabuddin, 76, cited his deteriorating health.
“Due to worsening physical and mental incapacity … it is no longer possible for me to properly discharge the responsibilities of an important constitutional office such as the presidency,” it said.
Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said he accepted his resignation.
Ahmed will take the duty as interim president of Bangladesh, and a new president must be elected within the next 90 days, according to the constitution.
“According to the Constitution, the president’s resignation becomes effective upon submission of a signed letter to the speaker,” the president’s spokesperson, Sarwar Alam, said.
The resignation comes amid media reports that Shahabuddin spoke on the phone with ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is living in India, during a visit by the former to the UK for medical treatment in May this year, according to Dhaka-based The Daily Star.
Shahabuddin has refuted the media report.
“I am suffering from various health complications,” he told The Daily Star when asked about the reason for his resignation. “I have nothing more to add at this moment.”
He had travelled to London on May 9 and returned on May 18.
Shahabuddin has been the president of the South Asian nation since April 2023. His term was meant to end in 2028.
He oversaw the country during a volatile period after Hasina was ousted in August 2024 by youth protesters and until a caretaker government was formed days later.
Hasina is currently living in exile in India’s capital, New Delhi, but is expected to return to Bangladesh in December, according to the Reuters news agency, which reported news of Shahabuddin’s expected resignation on Thursday.
His resignation leaves Hasina with no allies in high office five months before her planned return.