Big news out of Dhaka — Bangladesh's President has officially thrown in the towel.

In a rather dramatic turn of events, President Mohammed Shahabuddin has resigned from his largely ceremonial role, citing poor health.

According to cbinews.tv, the 76-year-old, affectionately known as "Chuppu", confirmed the news himself on Friday. When asked about the swirling speculation, he kept it short and simple: "Yes, I have resigned."

The resignation letter itself, which was seen by AFP, was addressed to the Speaker of Parliament. In it, Shahabuddin was pretty frank about his condition.

"Due to worsening physical and mental incapacity... it is no longer possible for me to properly discharge the responsibilities of an important constitutional office such as the presidency," the letter read.

It’s worth remembering, Shahabuddin is a close ally of former premier Sheikh Hasina and was elected to the post by parliament back in 2023 with the backing of her Awami League. His full term was supposed to run until 2028.

He’s been under pressure for a while, actually. When that student-led revolt ousted the autocratic Hasina in 2024, there were loud calls for him to go too. More recently, he was accused of speaking to Hasina on the phone whilst undergoing medical treatment in London in May — an allegation he has denied.

Interestingly, there seems to be a bit of confusion on the government side. On Thursday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party told reporters the government wasn’t aware of any resignation.

"If he wants to resign, he will have to submit his resignation letter to the speaker in accordance with the Constitution," he said.

Well, it looks like that letter has now landed.

Attribution: cbinews.tv

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