Bangladesh sets August 20 presidential election after Shahabuddin quits

Dhaka,UPDATED: Aug 6, 2026 17:12 IST

Bangladesh's presidential election will be held on August 20, the Election Commission announced on Thursday, two weeks after President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on health grounds before completing his five-year term. Shahabuddin, 76, was a longtime ally of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Under the Constitution, members of parliament elect the president, while the Election Commission conducts the process. Voting is scheduled from 2 pm to 5 pm on August 20 at the Jatiya Sangsad session hall, though no voting will be needed if there is a consensus candidate.

Election Commission senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters, "Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has finalised the dates in consultation with (acting parliamentary) Speaker Kayser Kamal." Ahmed said nomination papers will be accepted at the office of the Chief Election Commissioner on August 13, scrutiny will be held on August 16, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is August 18.

According to the state-run BSS news agency, Ahmed said the election schedule was announced after discussions with Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, who is serving as Acting President for 90 days in line with the Constitution. A new president must be elected within this 90-day period. Ahmed also said the voter list has been prepared and the remaining administrative procedures will be completed before the election.

Shahabuddin, a 1971 Liberation War veteran and former lower judiciary judge, had taken oath in April 2023 for a five-year term. He said health complications were behind his resignation, but it came amid speculation that Prime Minister Rahman's government was uncomfortable with the largely titular head of state. Some reports had claimed that Shahabuddin contacted Hasina over the phone, disappointing the ruling Bangladesh ist Party's top leadership, though the former president dismissed the reports as "baseless".

He was elected by the previous parliament and was the only person still holding his constitutional position after the violent July-August 2024 student-led street protests that toppled Hasina's Awami League government. Hasina fled to India and has been living there since August 5, 2024. Prime Minister Rahman's Bangladesh ist Party, which has a two-thirds majority in the 350-member House, is yet to decide its candidate. An individual may serve as president for a maximum of two terms. With the schedule now announced, lawmakers are set to choose Bangladesh's next president on August 20 within the constitutional timeframe.

With PTI Inputs

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