Mohammed Shahabuddin was sworn in as the 22nd president of Bangladesh. Photo: Facebook
Mohammed Shahabuddin was sworn in as the 22nd president of Bangladesh. Photo: Facebook
New Delhi: Mohammed Shahabuddin has taken oath as the 22nd president of Bangladesh on Monday.
Shahabuddin took the presidential oath administered by Parliament Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at the historic Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 11am in the presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cabinet members and hundreds of distinguished guests.
Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the program.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Mohammed Shahabuddin signed the oath documents of the office of the president. Shahabuddin succeeds Abdul Hamid whose tenure ended on Sunday. After the swearing-in ceremony, Shahabuddin signed the oath documents for the office of the president.
He was elected as president unopposed in February this year as a candidate of the ruling Awami League.
Despite being largely ornamental head of the state, the office of the president draws extra attention particularly during the general elections as he appoints the prime minister and becomes the constitutional guardian of the country.
Bangladesh is set for general elections in December or in January next year, amid growing diferences between the ruling Awami League and its main opposition the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over the electoral system.
In a media interview last week, Shahabuddin, a lower court judge, said it was largely the responsibility of the Election Commission to create the atmosphere to encourage voters to cast their votes and expected the independent constitutional body to play its due role.
He said, after assuming his office, he would review the political situation and assess if he needed to play any role in minimising disputes between the political parties.
Shahabuddin’s early life
Born in 1949 and hailing from the northwestern Pabna district, Shahabuddin is a retired district judge who later served as one of the commissioners of the independent Anti-Corruption Commission.
He later joined politics and became a member of the Awami League Advisory Council, which comprises senior party leaders and technocrats, but his election to the highest office would require him to relinquish the party post.
In his early life, Shahabuddin was a leader of the Awami League’s student and youth wings and took part in the 1971 Liberation War.
He was imprisoned following the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Prime Minister Hasina. In 1982, he was inducted into the country’s judicial service.
Shahabuddin’s wife Rebeka Sultana is the former joint secretary of the government. The couple has one son.
With inputs from agencies
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