Shahabuddin Chuppu declared next Bangladesh president-elect
Feb 14, 2023
Dhaka [Bangladesh], February 14 : Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu has been declared as the next president-elect of Bangladesh on Monday by the country's Election Commission after no other candidate was put forward, reported Dhaka Tribune.
A former commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, retired district and sessions judge, and freedom fighter, Shahabuddin was elected unopposed as the 22nd President of Bangladesh.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal made the announcement while speaking to journalists at the Election Commission building in Agargaon.
He said Awami League nominee Shahabuddin became president-elect by default as no one else submitted any nominations, reported Dhaka Tribune.
The nomination process for the presidential election ended on Sunday.
With 302 members, the AL party has the majority in the 350-seat national parliament, and no other party had the numbers to nominate a presidential candidate.
Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted Shahabuddin with a flower bouquet after the submission of his nomination, reported Dhaka Tribune.
Shahabuddin was born in 1949 and had a distinguished political career from a young age, starting in his student years.
Hailing from Pabna, a northern district of Bangladesh, Shahabuddin has served various political and state roles.
During the Liberation War in 1971, Shahabuddin was a key player in the northern region, serving as a student leader and the convener of the Swadhin Bangla Chattra Sangram Parishad.
Along with former Awami League presidium member Mohammad Nasim, he played a crucial role in the Pabna district during the war, reported Dhaka Tribune.
Shahabuddin started his career in Judicial Service in 1983 and was a district judge till 2006. He also discharged his duties as chairman of the Labour Court in 2006, lawyer of the Supreme Court from 2008-2011 and commissioner of the ACC from 2011-2016.
The tenure of Md Abdul Hamid, the longest-serving president of the country, will expire on April 23, and according to the constitution, there is no scope for a third term.
Senior Awami League leader and seven-time lawmaker Md Abdul Hamid was elected president in the last two elections. He was sworn in for his second term on April 24, 2018.
Although the president is the head of state in Bangladesh, he/she does not have any executive powers. It is rather a ceremonial post.
