Who's next President?

Political speculation has intensified over the future of the presidency after President Mohammed Shahabuddin decided to step down but delayed submitting his resignation until Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad returns to the country, according to Bangabhaban officials and a source close to the President.

The development has triggered widespread discussion within political and government circles over who could become Bangladesh's next President, although neither Bangabhaban nor the government has officially confirmed the President's resignation.

Officials at Bangabhaban said Shahabuddin had decided to resign but was waiting for the Speaker to return from Thailand before formally tendering his resignation.

The Speaker left for Thailand for medical treatment on July 19 and is due to return home on July 26. However, reliable sources claimed that the Speaker may return on Friday (today) due to emergency situation. 

"The person to whom he must submit he is not in the country. So there is no opportunity to resign now," a senior Bangabhaban official said, adding that the President had already decided to step down for health or personal reasons.

However, Presidential Press Secretary Sarwar Alam said on Thursday, "He (President) has not yet signed the resignation letter. We will inform you if he resigns." 

Earlier in the day, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed dismissed suggestions that the government was involved in any move concerning the presidency, stressing that the matter remained entirely within the constitutional authority of the President.

"If the President wants to resign for health reasons or any other reason under the Constitution, that option is available to him. We really don't know," he told reporters. 

The speculation has fuelled discussion over who could succeed Shahabuddin if the office becomes vacant.

Political observers and party insiders have identified several senior BNP leaders as possible candidates, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee members Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan.

Party insiders said one of the senior leaders could eventually be nominated for the largely ceremonial but constitutionally significant office.

Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, who currently serves on a contractual basis in one of the government's most important administrative positions, has also emerged as a probable name in recent discussions. However, there is no information from the party.

Responding to reports linking him to the presidency, Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said he was unaware of any such development.

"I know nothing about this. If the office of the President becomes vacant, it is natural that many names will be discussed," he said.

Mirza Fakhrul has also been widely mentioned as a potential consensus candidate because of his long tenure as BNP Secretary General, clean public image and broad political acceptability. However, neither he nor the party has indicated any interest or made any public comment on the speculation.

Constitutional procedure
Bangladesh's Constitution outlines the process if the office of the President becomes vacant through resignation, death or removal.

Under Article 50(3), the President resigns by submitting a signed letter to the Speaker of Parliament.

Article 54 provides that the Speaker immediately assumes the responsibilities of Acting President until a successor is elected, while Article 123(2) requires a new President to be elected within 90 days if the office falls vacant before the completion of the incumbent's term. Under Article 48(1), the President is elected by Members of Parliament.

Given the BNP's overwhelming majority in Parliament, political analysts believe the party's nominee-ultimately backed by Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman-would almost certainly secure election.

Although the Constitution does not require the Speaker to be physically present in Bangladesh to receive the resignation letter, Bangabhaban officials said waiting for his return would ensure a smooth constitutional transition by allowing him to immediately assume the role of Acting President.

Mohammed Shahabuddin assumed office on April 24, 2023, after being elected unopposed for a five-year term scheduled to expire in April 2028.

Previously known as Shahabuddin Chuppu, the former Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner remained in office after the political upheaval of 2024, overseeing the dissolution of Parliament, administering the oath to the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus and approving key government decisions through presidential ordinances.

During the interim administration, several organisations associated with the July uprising demanded his resignation, arguing that he had been elected under the previous Awami League government. The BNP, however, opposed his removal, warning that such a move could trigger a constitutional crisis, and the interim government ultimately took no action.

Shahabuddin has repeatedly expressed his desire to leave office. In an interview with Reuters on December 11, 2025, before the parliamentary election, he said: "I am eager to leave. I want to go from here."

Following the BNP's landslide victory in the February 12 parliamentary election, Shahabuddin administered the oath to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and members of the new cabinet on February 17.

In an interview published on February 23, he acknowledged the BNP's support during the interim period, saying: "The BNP stood by me completely during my difficult time."

Questions over the President's health have further intensified speculation. Shahabuddin travelled to the United Kingdom in May for follow-up treatment after undergoing coronary bypass surgery in Singapore in October 2023.

Doctors at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge discovered a severe blockage in one of his coronary arteries during an angiogram on May 12 and inserted a stent through angioplasty. Bangabhaban later said his condition was stable, and he returned to Bangladesh after nine days.

Political observers have also noted that after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's official visits to Malaysia and China in late June, neither Bangabhaban nor the Prime Minister's Office disclosed the customary post-visit briefing between the Prime Minister and the President, further fuelling speculation over the relationship between the presidency and the government.