Who served as president, for how long, and where are they now?

In the history of independent Bangladesh, only four presidents have completed their term. Most of the others have resigned or were compelled to resign. Two presidents were assassinated while in office.

The most notable aspect is that no president elected by direct vote of the people has completed their term.

On the other hand, all presidents who completed their term took office after 1991, and these presidents essentially had no executive power.

Among the individuals who have served as the president of Bangladesh, three are still alive.

Among them, Md Abdul Hamid retired after completing two fixed terms. Most recently, on 24 July, Md Shahabuddin resigned. Following his resignation, according to the constitution, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad took on the responsibility as the acting president. Last Thursday was his final working day at Bangabhaban.

On that day, BNP's candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected president. On Friday evening, he took the oath as president, making him the country's 24th president. Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has resumed his duties as Speaker.

According to the constitution of Bangladesh, the president holds the highest office in the state. However, in the history spanning more than five and a half decades since independence, this position has rarely been stable. Assassinations, counter-coups, mass movements, political disputes, and constitutional changes have repeatedly changed the fate of the presidency. Md Shahabuddin's recent resignation adds another chapter to this history.

Since independence, a total of 19 individuals have served as president, acting president, or temporary incumbents. Some individuals have held the office multiple times.

Md Shahabuddin resigned citing illness. In 2023, he was elected unopposed as president on 24 April as the sole candidate from the Awami League (whose activities are currently banned). His five-year term was supposed to end in April 2028.

The Awami League government fell on 5 August 2024, due to a student-people's uprising. Discussions about removing Md Shahabuddin from the presidency emerged at various times. Many parties demanded his removal, and there were even protests in front of Bangabhaban for his ouster.

Considering that the resignation of the president could create a constitutional crisis, various parties, including BNP, argued to keep Md Shahabuddin in his position. In the 13th parliamentary elections in February, BNP formed the government with a two-thirds majority. Discussions began on whether the BNP would wait until the end of Md Shahabuddin's tenure as President.

According to political sources, BNP eventually conveyed to Md Shahabuddin that they preferred having one of their own as president. Therefore, he should resign. If he did so, the government would not hinder his peaceful life. Following this, Shahabuddin resigned.

In his resignation letter, Md Shahabuddin mentioned suffering from various ailments. He wrote, "I am gravely ill. I suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney complications. I've undergone bypass surgery on my heart. Recently, an illness called autonomic neuropathy was diagnosed during health check-ups. Due to this illness, I occasionally lose consciousness for a moment. Physical and mental disabilities due to the prevalence of these diseases make it impossible for me to fulfill the responsibilities of a vital constitutional position like the Presidency. I require long-term medical treatment."

After resigning, Md Shahabuddin left Bangabhaban and moved to his flat in Gulshan. Md Shahabuddin stated that he was quite ill. One of his legs is mostly paralysed. He needs regular medical consultation. He has issues with blood circulation in his brain.

Md Shahabuddin told Prothom Alo that there is a sense of relief without state responsibilities. However, grave illness prevents a normal life. He spends time with his family members but also tries to write in between.

The former president said, "I am writing a book about the days in Bangabhaban. I want to record that eventful time in my writing."

After the death of President Md Zillur Rahman, Md Abdul Hamid assumed the role of acting president, later becoming the interim president.

Subsequently, he was elected unopposed as president as the sole candidate from Awami League. On 24 April 2013, he took the oath as president. After completing his term, he was again elected unopposed as President in 2018 as the sole candidate from Awami League, serving until 23 April 2023. In total, he served as president for ten years, the longest in Bangladesh's history.

When leaving Bangabhaban, Abdul Hamid was bid farewell with a state ceremony. He was given a ''Guard of Honour". Officials and employees of Bangabhaban showered him with flower petals as a farewell gesture. He later departed from Bangabhaban to his residence in Nikunja, Dhaka, with his wife, Rashida Khanom, in a motorcade. It was the first time in Bangladesh that a departing president was given such a formal state farewell at Bangabhaban.

After leaving the presidency, Abdul Hamid stayed somewhat secluded, especially after the fall of the Awami League government in 2024, when he wasn't seen in public. In May of the previous year, he went to Thailand for medical treatment. He returned home on 9 June after treatment at a hospital in Bangkok for nearly a month, which was discussed widely.

On 26 July, separate charges were filed against former Presidents Abdul Hamid and Md Shahabuddin at the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal. However, there hasn't been much discussion about it.

Amid mass uprising, autocrat HM Ershad resigned on 6 December 1990. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed became acting president. Following the 1991 elections, parliamentary democracy was reestablished. Shahabuddin Ahmed resigned from the presidency to return as Chief Justice.

Subsequently, Abdur Rahman Biswas became president. From 9 October 1991 to 9 October 1996, he served the full five-year term. This tenure marks a significant milestone in the history of Bangladesh's presidents as no predecessor had completed the term due to coups, assassination, and political upheavals.

During the caretaker government in 1996 and before elections, there was an attempted coup in the military. Abdur Rahman Biswas removed the then-army chief Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim and brought the situation under control. After completing his tenure as president, he mostly stayed out of the public eye. He passed away on 3 November 2017, at the age of 91.

After the Awami League came to power in 1996, Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed was elected president. Although elected with the support of the Awami League, there was no objection from the then-opposition BNP regarding Shahabuddin Ahmed. After the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance came to power, he quietly left Bangabhaban on 14 November 2001.

According to political sources, after Awami League's defeat in the 2001 elections, relations between Shahabuddin Ahmed and the party's president Sheikh Hasina (currently in exile in India) deteriorated. Sheikh Hasina alleged Shahabuddin Ahmed did not play a role in bringing the Awami League back to power.

After leaving Bangabhaban, Shahabuddin Ahmed spent the rest of his life in seclusion. He passed away on 19 March 2022, at the age of 92. He is still remembered with respect in political circles and among the people.

AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury became president with BNP government support after the 2001 elections. However, he developed a rift with the government. Ultimately, he stepped down as president on 21 June 2002.

After Badruddoza Chowdhury, the then-Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar, served as acting president. Professor Iajuddin Ahmed was elected President in September 2002.

Iajuddin Ahmed’s term was supposed to end in September 2007. However, in 2006, there was a tense situation regarding who would be the head of the caretaker government, involving both the ruling and opposition parties. Iajuddin Ahmed became the Chief Advisor of the caretaker government.

The opposition continued its protests against this, leading to military-backed emergency rule and election delays. The elections were pushed back by nearly two years. Awami League won and formed the government following the December 2008 election. Zillur Rahman was elected as the new President, and Iajuddin Ahmed remained President until 12 February 2009, when Zillur Rahman took the oath.

Badruddoza Chowdhury, Jamiruddin Sircar, and Iajuddin Ahmed later passed away due to old age.

There have been three direct presidential elections in Bangladesh. In the first, held on 3 June 1978, Ziaur Rahman was elected president with approximately 77 per cent of the vote. His closest rival, General MAG Osmany, received about 22 per cent of the votes.

On 30 May 1981, Ziaur Rahman was assassinated by a group of soldiers at Chittagong Circuit House. Following his death, then Vice President Justice Abdus Sattar assumed the role of acting president. In the presidential election held on 15 November of the same year, BNP's candidate Abdus Sattar was elected president with over 65 per cent of the vote. His closest rival, Awami League candidate Dr. Kamal Hossain, received 26 per cent of the votes.

In the subsequent period, internal conflict and disunity intensified within the ruling BNP. In such a situation, on 24 March 1982, Abdus Sattar was ousted in a military coup. Martial law was declared, and the then-army chief Ershad seized power, appointing himself as the Chief Martial Law Administrator.

On 27 March 1982, Supreme Court Justice Abul Fazal Mohammad Ahsanuddin Chowdhury was made President. On 11 December 1983, he resigned due to “health reasons,” and Ershad assumed the Presidency. During military rule, a referendum was held, which, according to the Election Commission, resulted in 94 per cent “Yes” votes for him.

Justice Abdus Sattar and Justice Ahsanuddin Chowdhury later died of natural causes.

The presidential election took place on 15 October1986. Ershad was declared the winner with 84 per cent of the votes. His closest contender, Maulana Mohammad Ullah (Hafezzi Huzur), received about 6 per cent of the votes.

Ershad's nine-year rule was marked by opposition protests and movements. Ultimately, a mass uprising forced him to relinquish power. He was arrested and imprisoned.

In 1996, he assisted the Awami League in coming to power, in exchange for which he was released from prison. Capitalising on the divisive political positions of both BNP and Awami League, Ershad later managed to maintain proximity to power. In 2019, he passed away at 89.

During the Liberation War, on 10 April 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was made President, with Syed Nazrul Islam as Acting President in his absence, and Tajuddin Ahmad as Prime Minister, forming a six-member Bangladesh government. On 17 April 1971, the first government of independent Bangladesh was sworn in at the mango grove of Baidyanathtala in the then Meherpur sub-division.

After being released from a Pakistani prison, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned on 10 January 1972, to assume the presidency. Just two days later, the country returned to a parliamentary system from a presidential one. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the Prime Minister, and Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury assumed the presidency. When he resigned, Speaker Muhammad Ullah acted as president until 25 January 1975.

On 24 January 1975, a one-party system was established with the formation of BAKSAL. On 25 January, the fourth constitutional amendment bill was passed in the National Assembly, reinstating a presidential system in Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assumed the presidency. On 15 August 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with many of his family members, becoming the first President of independent Bangladesh to fall victim to assassination.

In 1975, Bangladesh saw three presidents within a year. After the 15 August coup, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad became president, serving for only 83 days. On 6 November, Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem was made president after Mostaq was removed. He, too, could not complete his term, resigning in April 1977, after which Ziaur Rahman became president.

The first 20 years after independence show that the presidency often became the centre of political power, with many events revolving around it.

After the reestablishment of the parliamentary system in 1991, the constitutional powers of the president were significantly curtailed. Still, the Presidency was not entirely free from political heat.