The President of Bangladesh (POB), officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the head of state of Bangladesh and the commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. While the role has been ceremonial since the 1990 uprising, the president has gained greater political influence since the 2026 presidential election.
The president is elected by the Jatiya Sangsad for a five-year term and represents the nation in domestic and international affairs. The role of the president has changed three times since Bangladesh achieved its independence in 1971. Initially, during the first 20 years the president held executive power. In 1991, with the restoration of a democratically elected government, Bangladesh adopted a parliamentary democracy based on a Westminster system, making the president largely ceremonial."Background Note: Bangladesh", US Department of State, May 2007 In 1996, the constitution passed new laws slightly enhancing the president's executive authority only after a Parliament dissolution, with modest executive powers emerging after the 2026 presidential election.
The president's official resident is Bangabhaban and it is elected by the 350 parliamentarians in an open ballot, and thus generally represents the majority party of the legislature. He continues to hold office after his five-year term expires until a successor is elected to the presidency.
Powers and duties
Currently, although the position of president holds de jure importance, its de facto powers are ceremonial. The Constitution allows the president to act only upon the advice of the prime minister and his/her Cabinet.
Appointments powers
The president can appoint the following to office: By Article 56 (2), the prime minister and his/her Cabinet, with the limitation that the prime minister must be a parliamentarian who holds the confidence of the majority of the House. The president can also dismiss a member of Cabinet upon the request of the prime minister. By Article 95, the chief justice and other judges of the court. By Article 118, the Bangladesh Election Commission, including the chief.
Prerogative of mercy
The president has the prerogative of mercy by Article 49 of the Constitution, which allows him to grant a pardon to anybody, overriding any court verdict in Bangladesh.
Legislative powers
By Article 80, the president can refuse to assent to any bill passed by the parliament, sending it back for review. A bill is enacted only after the president assents to it. But when the bill is passed again by the parliament, if the president further fails or refuse to assent a bill, after a certain period of days, the bill will be automatically transformed into law and will be considered as assented by the president.
Chancellor at universities Chancellor is a titular position at universities in Bangladesh, always held by the incumbent president of Bangladesh under the Private Universities Act 1992. The position in public universities is not fixed for the president under any acts or laws (since the erection of a state university in Bangladesh requires an act to be passed in itself), but it has been the custom so far to name the incumbent president of the country as chancellor of all state universities thus established.
Selection process
Eligibility The Constitution of Bangladesh sets the principal qualifications one must meet to be eligible to the office of the president. A person shall not be qualified for election as president if he- is less than thirty-five years of age; or is not qualified for election a member of Parliament; or has been removed from the office of president by impeachment under the Constitution.
Conditions for presidency Certain conditions, as per Article 27 of the Constitution, debar any eligible citizen from contesting the presidential elections. The conditions are: No person shall hold office as president for more than two terms, whether or not the terms are consecutive. The president shall not be a member of Parliament, and if a member of Parliament is elected as president, he shall vacate his seat in Parliament on the day on which he enters upon his office as president.
Election process Whenever the office becomes vacant, the new president is chosen by members of Parliament. Although presidential elections involve actual voting by MPs, they tend to vote for the candidate supported by their respective parties. The president may be impeached and subsequently removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the parliament.
Oath or affirmation The president is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, an oath or affirmation that he/she shall protect, preserve and defend the Constitution as follows:
Immunity
The president is granted immunity for all his actions by Article 51 of the Constitution and is not answerable to anybody for his actions, and no criminal charges can be brought to the Court against him. The only exception to this immunity is if the Parliament seeks to impeach the president.
Succession Article 54 of the Constitution of Bangladesh provides for the succession of the president. It states that in case of absence due to illness or other reasons, the speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad will act as the president of Bangladesh until the president resumes office. This Article was used during the ascension of Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar as the acting president of the state following the resignation of former president A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, and when President Zillur Rahman could not discharge his duties due to his illness, and later, death. Most recently, it was invoked on July 24, 2026, when Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed the responsibilities of acting president following the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin due to severe health complications.
Since Bangladesh is a parliamentary system, it does not have a vice-president. However, during the presidential system of governance, Bangladesh had a vice-president who would assume the president's role in his absence; the post was abolished by the twelfth amendment to the Constitution in 1991.
Removal
A president can resign from office by writing a letter by hand to the speaker. The president can also be impeached by the Parliament. In case of impeachment, the Parliament must bring specific charges against the president, and investigate it themselves, or refer it to any other body for investigation. The president will have the right to defend himself. Following the proceedings, the president is impeached immediately if two-thirds of the Parliament votes in favour, and the speaker ascends to power.
Presidential residences and office
The principal presidential residence at Bangabhaban is located in Dhaka. There is also a presidential Palace at Uttara Ganabhaban in Natore District.
History of the office Independence war and parliamentary republic (1971–75) At the beginning of the Bangladesh war of independence in April 1971, the Bangladesh Forces, better known as the Mukti Bahini, and the Provisional Government of Bangladesh, popularly called the Mujibnagar Government, were both established. After the oath ceremony held at Meherpur, Kushtia following Yahya Khan's anti-secessionist military operation in Dhaka, the latter government-in-exile (GiE) set up its headquarters at 8 Theatre Road, in Kolkata, India.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Awami League)
The de jure president of the GiE and thus the first president of Bangladesh was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was the most popular leader of the independence struggle imprisoned shortly after the independence declaration, with vice-president and acting president being Syed Nazrul Islam and Tajuddin Ahmad as prime minister. As the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, which was formed out of the East Pakistani elected members of the 1970 Pakistani general election, convened a month after the war on 12 January 1972, he introduced parliamentarism through a presidential decree and left office for the role of prime minister. In December on the first anniversary of the end of the war, the new constitution of the country took effect founding a unitary parliamentary republic based on the British Westminster System and transferring all executive powers to the prime minister.
Later, after the general election in 1973 where Mujib's party the Awami League achieved an expected landslide victory overkilling the opposition (not only because of intimidation of candidates and ballot stuffing by the ruling party leaders), in January 1974, the first presidential election was held. Mohammad Mohammadullah, who replaced Mujib's successor Abu Sayeed Chowdhury as acting president upon the latter's resignation, was indirectly elected uncontested and sworn in as the ceremonial head of state.
Mujib is widely considered the founder of Bangladesh and deemed as the "Father of the Nation" of the country. He is popularly referred with the honorary title of Bangabandhu (বঙ্গবন্ধু "Friend of Bengal"). He introduced the state policy of Bangladesh according to four basic principles: nationalism, secularism, democracy and socialism. He nationalized hundreds of industries and companies as well as abandoned land and capital and initiated land reform aimed at helping millions of poor farmers. Major efforts were launched to rehabilitate an estimated 10 million refugees. He further outlined state programs to expand primary education, sanitation, food, healthcare, water and electric supply across the country. A five-year plan released in 1973 focused state investments into agriculture, rural infrastructure and cottage industries.
After Bangladesh achieved recognition from most countries, Mujib helped Bangladesh enter into the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. He travelled to the United States, the United Kingdom and other European nations to obtain humanitarian and developmental assistance for the nation. He signed a treaty of friendship with India, which pledged extensive economic and humanitarian assistance and began training Bangladesh's security forces and government personnel.
Mujib's premiership however faced serious challenges, which included the rehabilitation of millions of people displaced in 1971, organizing the supply of food, health aids and other necessities. The effects of the 1970 cyclone had not worn off, and the state's economy had immensely deteriorated by the conflict. Mujib's huge nationalization program and socialist planning caused the economy to suffer. By the end of the year, thousands of Bengalis arrived from Pakistan, and thousands of non-Bengalis migrated to Pakistan; and yet many thousands remained in refugee camps. Mujib forged a close friendship with Indira Gandhi, strongly praising India's decision to intercede, and professed admiration and friendship for India. In the aftermath of the 1974 Famine, there was growing dissatisfaction with his government.
Presidential system and autocratic one-party state (1975)
Irked by the heavy criticism from the opposition and news outlets and worried about the Awami League's prospects in the next election, on 28 December 1974 Mujib declared a state of emergency. The following month, he openly advocated to the view that parliamentarism has failed in the country and had the lawmakers amend the constitution to revive the presidential system in order to better manage emergencies in the country. After assuming the presidency again, Mujib criticized "free-style" liberal democracy and established an autocratic one-party state with the strongly socialist Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League as the national party and him as the unelected president and unopposed supreme leader for life. He banned all other political parties and activities while sharply curtailing freedom of speech and the press.