Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin plans to resign on Friday, three sources told Reuters, opening a new political transition as the country faces pressure over ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s announced return from exile. Two sources said the 76-year-old president had informed Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of his decision, with one saying Rahman received the notice on Tuesday and that a formal announcement was expected Friday.
The resignation would come halfway through Shahabuddin’s five-year term. He entered office unopposed in 2023 as the nominee of Hasina’s Awami League, which is now banned. Although Bangladesh’s president serves as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the post is largely ceremonial; executive authority rests with the prime minister and cabinet in the country of about 173 million people.
Shahabuddin’s position became more politically prominent after a student-led uprising forced Hasina to flee to New Delhi in August 2024. Bangladesh’s war crimes court sentenced her to death in absentia last November for ordering a crackdown on that uprising, in which nearly 1,400 people were killed. Hasina, who has denied the charges, told Reuters this month that she and senior party colleagues planned to return from India around December and surrender.
News of that planned return has increased public pressure on Rahman’s new government to remove the remaining Hasina allies from senior offices. Rahman came to power after a February election, and Shahabuddin told Reuters in December that he intended to step down after that vote. The planned departure therefore follows an earlier commitment, while its timing connects it directly to renewed scrutiny surrounding Hasina and the former governing party.
The information had not received public confirmation from the main participants when Reuters reported it. Shahabuddin did not answer repeated calls or messages, and Rahman’s spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The three sources remained unidentified because of the sensitivity of the matter, making Friday’s anticipated formal announcement the next key point for confirming the transition and its timetable.
Parliament speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad could serve as interim president before lawmakers elect a permanent successor, according to the sources. That potential arrangement would preserve continuity in the largely ceremonial office while the government manages the political consequences of Hasina’s expected return. Attention will now focus on the formal resignation, the interim succession process and parliament’s eventual selection of Bangladesh’s next president.
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