President of important South Asian country 'suddenly' resigns

DHAKA (REUTERS) -- Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, a former ally of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned citing serious health issues, his office said on Friday.

Shahabuddin, 76, has held the largely ceremonial post of president since April 2023, a period that included volatile months after Hasina’s flight to India following a student-led uprising against her rule in 2024.

“Recent medical examinations have diagnosed me with a condition known as Autonomic Neuropathy. Due to this condition, I occasionally experience momentary loss of consciousness,” Shahabuddin said in a statement released by his press secretary.

The resignation of Shahabuddin would leave Hasina with no allies in high office five months before her planned return. Her Awami League party is banned, and many of its ​leaders and activists have been jailed or gone into hiding since a deadly student-led uprising toppled her government in 2024.

The speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, the national parliament, will perform the duties of the president until a new one is elected, the statement said.

As head of state, Shahabuddin is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but executive power rests with the prime minister and cabinet of the mainly Muslim country of 173 million people.

Reuters reported on Thursday that Shahabuddin, a former ally of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina, would resign on Friday.