Mohammed Shahabuddin (born 10 December 1949)
is a Bangladeshi jurist, civil servant and politician who is the 22nd and current
President of Bangladesh. He was elected unopposed in the
2023 presidential election in the nomination of the
ruling
Rule or ruling may refer to:
Education
* Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia
Human activity
* The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power
* Business rule, a rule perta ...
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
. Prior to his presidency, he served as a district and sessions judge and a commissioner of the
Anti-Corruption Commission from 2011 to 2016.
Early life and education
Shahabuddin was born on 10 December 1949 in the Jubilee Tank area in Shivrampur of
Sadar Upazila of
Pabna District in erstwhile
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
,
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of I ...
(present-day
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
). 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
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
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
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...
from Shahid Aminuddin Law College in 1975.[
]
Career
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
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BaKSAL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ কৃষক শ্রমিক আওয়ামী লীগ "Bangladesh Worker-Peasant's People's League"; বাকশাল) was a political front comprising B ...
(BAKSAL) of the district unit and publicity secretary of the Awami League district unit. He was imprisoned after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
The first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family were killed during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of young Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, Dhanmondi 32 resi ...
in 1975 for three years. He was tortured in Bangladesh Army custody by Major A. L. M. Fazlur Rahman, who would later be appointed chief of Bangladesh Rifles by an Awami League government in 2000.
In 1982, Shahabuddin joined as a Munsef (Assistant Judge) of the Judicial cadre in the Bangladesh Civil Service
Bangladesh Civil Service ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সিভিল সার্ভিস ), more popularly known by its acronym BCS, is the civil service of Bangladesh. Civil service in the Indian subcontinent originated from the Imperial ...
(BCS). He was elected to serve as General Secretary of the Judicial Service Association in 1995 and 1996.
Shahabuddin was appointed by the 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 Parlimentary 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
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
for the presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
, the only candidate to do so. Shahabuddin then held a tête-à-tête with Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban
The Ganabhaban ( bn, গণভবন, lit. ''People's House'') is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, which is located on the north corner of the National Parliament House in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. After independence ...
. 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
Kazi Habibul Awal (born 21 January 1956) is a retired secretary and the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner of Bangladesh.
Early life and education
Awal was born on 21 January 1956 in Comilla District, East Pakistan, Pakistan to a family fr ...
.
Oath and sworn
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
Hasan Foez Siddique (born 26 September 1956) is a Bangladeshi lawyer and jurist who is the 23rd and current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He is scheduled to retire on 25 September 2023.
Early life and education
Siddique was ...
, Sheikh Rehana
Sheikh Rehana Siddiq (born 13 September 1957) is a Bangladesh Awami League politician. She is the younger sister of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the daughter of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She is also the mother ...
, cabinet members, and other guests attended the state ceremony. After the swearing-in ceremony, Shahabuddin and outgoing president Mohammad Abdul Hamid
Mohammad Abdul Hamid (born 1 January 1944) is a Bangladeshis, Bangladeshi politician who is currently serving as the president of Bangladesh. He was elected to his first term in April 2013, and re-elected to his current second term in 2018. Prev ...
officially switched their seats as part of the ceremony of changing the charge of the office. Shahabuddin and Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury
Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury (born 6 October 1966) is the current and the first female Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad since April 2013. At 46 years of age, she became the youngest to assume the office. She was also the Chairperson of the Executive Co ...
signed the oath documents of the office.
Personal life
Since November 1972, Shahabuddin is married to Rebecca Sultana, a former joint secretary to the government of Bangladesh
The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...
.[ She is currently serving as a faculty member of ]Primeasia University
Primeasia University ( bn, প্রাইমএশিয়া বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, also known as PaU) is a private research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 2003.
History
Primeasia Univer ...
and the founding chairperson of Friends for Children Organization. Together they have a son, Arshad Adnan.
Legacy
In his honour, a park built by the Pabna Municipality in 2020 was named "Bir Muktijoddha Mohammad Sahabuddin Chuppu Amusement Park".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chuppu, Shahabuddin
1949 births
Living people
People from Pabna District
Pabna Edward College alumni
University of Rajshahi alumni
People of the Bangladesh Liberation War
Awami League politicians
Presidents of Bangladesh
Mukti Bahini personnel