Mohammad Shahabuddin

Mohammed Shahabuddin (born 10 December 1949) is a Bangladeshi jurist, civil servant, and politician who is the 16th and incumbent President of Bangladesh. He was elected unopposed in the 2023 presidential election in the nomination of the ruling Awami League. Prior to his presidency, he served as a district and sessions judge and a commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission from 2011 to 2016.

Shahabuddin was born on 10 December 1949 in the Jubilee Tank area in Shivrampur of Sadar Upazila of Pabna District in erstwhile East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh). His parents were Sharfuddin Ansari and Khairunnessa.

Shahabuddin went to Pabna's Purbatan Gandhi School and later was admitted to Radhanagar Majumdar Academy at fourth grade where he passed SSC examination in 1966. He then passed HSC and bachelor's from Govt. Edward College, Pabna in 1968 and 1972 respectively. He then obtained master's in psychology from the University of Rajshahi in 1974, and then LLB from Shahid Aminuddin Law College in 1975.

Shahabuddin was a student leader of the Awami League during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was the general secretary of the Pabna Edward College unit of the Chhatra League and president of the Pabna District Chhatra League and Jubo League. He was the Pabna District convenor of the Shadhin Bangla Chatro Shongram Parishad. He participated in the Liberation War as a freedom fighter. He was the joint secretary of the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL) of the district unit and publicity secretary of the Awami League district unit. He was imprisoned after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 for three years.

In 1982, Shahabuddin joined as a Munsef (Assistant Judge) of the Judicial cadre in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS). He was finally promoted to the post of District and Sessions Judge, the highest position of the Bangladesh Judicial Service. He was elected to serve as General Secretary of the Judicial Service Association in 1995 and 1996.

Shahabuddin was appointed by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to serve as a coordinator in the trial to prosecute the assassins of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He served as Election Commissioner in the 2022 National Council of Bangladesh Awami League.

In February 2023, Shahabuddin, resigned from the board of directors of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited after being elected president of Bangladesh, a position he held since 2017.

Presidency

Election

Shahabuddin was nominated by the Awami League Parliamentary Party as their candidate for President of Bangladesh. On 12 February 2023, he submitted his application to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Presidential Election Officer at the Election Commission for the presidential election, the only candidate to do so. Shahabuddin then held a tête-à-tête with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban. His nomination was welcomed by the opposition Jatiya Party, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party expressed their disinterest. On 13 February 2023, he was officially elected as the country's 22nd president as he was unopposed. The result was declared by the Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal.

Inauguration

Shahabuddin was sworn in as the 22nd President of Bangladesh in a ceremony at the Bangabhaban on 24 April 2023. Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, Sheikh Rehana, cabinet members, and other guests attended the state ceremony. After the swearing-in ceremony, Shahabuddin and outgoing president Mohammad Abdul Hamid officially switched their seats as part of the ceremony of changing the charge of the office. Shahabuddin and Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury signed the oath documents of the office.

Foreign visits

Since November 1972, Shahabuddin is married to Rebecca Sultana, a former joint secretary to the government of Bangladesh. She is currently serving as a faculty member of Primeasia University and the founding chairperson of Friends for Children Organization. Together they have a son, Arshad Adnan, who produced several Bangladeshi films, including the highest grossing Bangladeshi film Priyotoma (2023).

In his honour, a park built by the Pabna Municipality in 2020 was named "Bir Muktijoddha Mohammad Sahabuddin Chuppu Amusement Park".