President Mohammed Shahabuddin, in an unusually candid conversation with TIMES of Bangladesh, has addressed questions about his position and the possibility of a new government choosing a successor—a rare public statement that comes amid mounting political speculation.
Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5 last year, President Shahabuddin has rarely spoken to the media, and his public profile has remained largely limited to formal ceremonial duties. Observers note that his movements and authority are tightly constrained, with many perceiving that he has been kept in office primarily to serve constitutional continuity.
When asked about his resignation before the end of his five-year tenure in 2028, the president responded frankly, “If a new government comes and does not want me, will I not resign? This is the truth. If the new government says, ‘Sir, we will select our new president,’ then what will I say—‘Don’t do it’? Will I stay by force?”
Pressed on whether he would remain if asked to stay, he said, “If they ask me to stay, I will stay. I do not know whether I will stay. I will make a decision. I will make the decision then.”
Political analysts say President Shahabuddin’s statements are striking not only for their rarity but also for the implicit acknowledgment of the delicate position he occupies. As the country prepares for upcoming elections, the remarks underscore the tension surrounding the presidency and the limits of authority of a figurehead whose role is largely symbolic but constitutionally significant.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Reuters published on Thursday, President Shahabuddin said that he is feeling ‘humiliated’ by the interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, and that he plans to resign midway through his tenure.
As head of state, Shahabuddin is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but the role is largely ceremonial, and executive power rests with the prime minister and cabinet.
However, his position gained prominence when a student-led uprising forced long-time premier Sheikh Hasina to flee to New Delhi in August 2024, leaving him as the last remaining constitutional authority after parliament was dissolved.
Shahabuddin, 75, had been elected unopposed for a five-year term in 2023 as a nominee of Hasina’s Awami League party, which has been barred from contesting the February 12 election.
The president says Yunus sidelined him
“I am keen to leave. I am interested to go out,” he said in a WhatsApp interview from his official residence in Dhaka, in what he said was his first media interview since taking office.
“Until elections are held, I should continue,” Shahabuddin said. “I am upholding my position because of the constitutionally held presidency.”
The president said Yunus had not met him for nearly seven months, his press department had been taken away and, in September, his portraits were removed from Bangladeshi embassies around the world.
“There was the portrait of the president, picture of the president in all consulates, embassies and high commissions, and this has been eliminated suddenly in one night,” he said. “A wrong message goes to the people that perhaps the president is going to be eliminated. I felt very much humiliated.”
Shahabuddin said he had written to Yunus about the portraits, but no action was taken. “My voice has been stifled,” he added.
Yunus’ press advisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president in contact with army chief
The president said he was in regular touch with Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, whose troops stood aside in August 2024 amid deadly protests against Hasina, sealing the fate of the veteran politician. Shahabuddin said Zaman had made it clear he had no intention of grabbing power.
Bangladesh has a history of military rule, but Zaman has said he wants democracy to return.
Shahabuddin said that, although some student protesters had initially demanded that he resign, no political party had asked him to do so in recent months.
Opinion polls suggest the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami will be the frontrunners to form the next government. They were part of a coalition that ruled between 2001 and 2006.
Asked if Hasina, who had governed for 20 years, had tried to contact him after fleeing, Shahabuddin declined to answer. He said he had been independent since becoming president, not affiliated to any party.
