Jamaat Welcomes President Shahabuddin's Resignation, Calls It End of 'Autocracy's Dark Shadow'

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has welcomed the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, describing his departure from office as the end of what it called "a dark shadow of autocracy." The party made the remarks shortly after Shahabuddin stepped down from the presidency, citing health reasons.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman said the party had long maintained that Shahabuddin was no longer suitable to continue serving as the country's head of state.

According to Shafiqur, the party considered the president to have lost the legitimacy required to remain in office. He said Jamaat was less concerned with the reasons behind the resignation and more focused on what it viewed as the conclusion of an era associated with political controversy.

The Jamaat leader also criticized Shahabuddin's role during the July 2024 mass uprising, alleging that the former president failed to publicly condemn the violence that occurred during the nationwide movement. He claimed the president remained silent throughout the crisis, a position the party believes reflected a failure to fulfill the moral responsibilities of the office.

Following Shahabuddin's resignation, Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed assumed the constitutional responsibilities of acting president. Shafiqur congratulated the Speaker on taking over the role and expressed hope that the constitutional transition would proceed smoothly.

Addressing the process of selecting a new president, the Jamaat chief noted that Bangladesh's Constitution requires a successor to be elected within 90 days. He said that if Parliament remains in session during that period, the next president will be chosen through the constitutional procedure outlined for presidential elections.

Shafiqur added that if more than one candidate contests the position, the election would be decided through a majority vote in Parliament. While declining to reveal Jamaat's strategy, he indicated that the party would determine its position when the nomination process begins.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis also reacted strongly to Shahabuddin's resignation. In a separate statement, the party's Ameer, Mamunul Haque, argued that stepping down from office alone was insufficient and called for the former president's immediate arrest and trial.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) echoed similar demands, issuing a statement calling for legal proceedings against Shahabuddin. The party described the former president as an accomplice of what it characterized as authoritarian rule and urged authorities to initiate legal action without delay.

The political reactions came only hours after Shahabuddin formally resigned, ending his presidency before completing his full constitutional term. His resignation has triggered the constitutional process for selecting Bangladesh's next president while also intensifying political debate over his legacy and role during recent developments in the country's political landscape.

With the presidency now being administered on an interim basis by the Speaker of Parliament, attention is expected to shift toward the upcoming presidential election, which must be completed within the constitutionally mandated timeframe. At the same time, differing political responses to Shahabuddin's resignation continue to reflect the broader divisions among Bangladesh's major political parties regarding the country's recent political history.