Prez Shahabuddin resigns 

He submitted his resignation letter to Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the afternoon, his Press Secretary M Sarwar Alam confirmed.

Under Article 54 of the Constitution, the Speaker will serve as the acting President until a new head of state is elected.

At around 4:26pm, a vehicle designated for the acting President, accompanied by two Special Security Force (SSF) protocol vehicles, arrived at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, marking the constitutional transition.

In his resignation letter, Shahabuddin said he had served as the 22nd President of Bangladesh with "dedication, honesty and full loyalty to the Constitution" since assuming office on April 24, 2023.

He recalled that following the fall of the then Awami League government during the student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, the country faced a constitutional crisis. To address the situation, he sought the opinion of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court under Article 106 of the Constitution before forming the Interim Government.

The President said the Interim Government subsequently held the parliamentary election in consultation with political parties, leading to the formation of the current government. He maintained that his role had helped prevent a constitutional crisis during the political transition.

Explaining his decision to step down, Shahabuddin said he was suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney complications, and had previously undergone bypass surgery.

He also revealed that he had recently been diagnosed with Autonomic Neuropathy, a condition that sometimes causes him to lose consciousness briefly.

"Due to the physical and mental incapacity caused by these illnesses, it is not possible for me to discharge the responsibilities of such an important constitutional office. I require long-term medical treatment," he said in the letter, adding that he was resigning in accordance with Article 50(3) of the Constitution.

Shahabuddin was elected President during the Awami League government's tenure and took office as the country's 22nd President on April 24, 2023.

He remained in office after the July uprising and served under three successive administrations-the Awami League government, the Interim Government and, most recently, the BNP government.

Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5, 2024, demands for his removal repeatedly surfaced during the Interim Government. Although speculation over his resignation or removal emerged several times, he continued in office until Friday, when he formally stepped down on health grounds.