Dhaka, Dec 12: Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has said he is prepared to leave office midway through his term, declaring that he has felt “humiliated” and “sidelined” under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The president made the remarks during a WhatsApp interview from his official residence in Dhaka, his first media interaction since taking office in 2023.
Shahabuddin, 75, who became the country’s last remaining constitutional authority after the 2024 student-led uprising forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee and parliament was dissolved, said he intends to continue only until the February 12 parliamentary election.
“I am keen to leave. I am interested to go out,” he said, adding that he remains in office solely because of constitutional necessity. “Until elections are held, I should continue. I am upholding my position because of the constitutionally held presidency.”
The president, who was elected unopposed in 2023 as a nominee of Hasina’s Awami League — now barred from contesting the upcoming polls — said he would allow the next government to decide his future. “If they tell me they plan to choose their own president, I will step aside,” he noted.
Claims of Being Sidelined by Interim Government
Shahabuddin accused the interim administration of weakening his authority and restricting his role.
“My voice has been stifled,” he said.
He alleged that Yunus had not met him for nearly seven months and that his press department had been removed. The president also said he was deeply troubled by the sudden removal of his portraits from embassies and high commissions worldwide in September.
“This has been eliminated suddenly in one night … I felt very much humiliated,” he said.
“A wrong message goes to the people that perhaps the president is going to be eliminated.”
Shahabuddin said he wrote to Yunus seeking clarification, but “no action was taken.” Yunus’ advisers have not responded to requests for comment.
Military Relations and Political Outlook
The president said he remains in regular contact with Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, whose forces stayed neutral during the 2024 protests that led to Hasina’s departure. According to Shahabuddin, the army chief has assured him that he has no intention of grabbing power despite the country’s long history of military rule.
“Bangladesh has a history of military rule, but Zaman says he wants democracy to return,” he said.
Early student protesters had demanded Shahabuddin’s resignation, but he said no political party has recently asked him to step down.
Opinion polls indicate that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami are currently the frontrunners to form the next government.
