Bangladesh President Alleges Constitutional Violations and Humiliation by Interim Government in Explosive Interview

Dhaka. Following approximately 18 months of instability and turmoil in Bangladesh, the alliance led by Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) assumed power last week after winning the election. However, a recent interview given by President Mohammed Shahabuddin has stirred new controversy in political circles.

In an interview with the Bengali daily 'Kaler Kantho' published from the capital Dhaka, the President accused the interim government of unconstitutional actions and alleged a complete lack of cooperation. Mohammed Yunus has not yet commented on the growing controversy surrounding his interview. However, the government's Information and Broadcasting Minister, Zahiruddin Swapan, told reporters that the government would issue an official statement only after studying the President's remarks.

During a conversation at Bangabhaban last Friday, Shahabuddin alleged that he was repeatedly humiliated during the tenure of the interim government. He claimed he was kept in the dark even when important national decisions were being made. President Shahabuddin stated, 'Chief Adviser Dr. Mohammed Yunus of the interim government has violated many provisions of the Constitution. I had to face humiliation many times from the interim government during the one-and-a-half-year tenure.'

He stated that many of the 132 ordinances issued during the interim government's time were, in his view, unnecessary. However, he admitted that some ordinances were essential given the prevailing circumstances. But he complained that the minimum coordination required with the Chief Adviser according to the Constitution was never maintained, and he was not even informed about many crucial decisions.

BNP and Army Saved the Chair

According to the Constitution, the Chief Adviser must meet the President after foreign tours to provide written information about the visit, discussions held, and potential agreements, Shahabuddin claimed. However, he stated that despite Mohammed Yunus making 14-15 foreign trips, he was never informed or even granted a meeting.

The President also claimed he was unaware of the agreement reached with the United States before the election. According to him, it is a constitutional duty to inform the President about such national agreements, big or small. He noted that previous government heads complied with this, but the head of the interim government never did.

'I was given no information, neither oral nor written. I was not even granted a courtesy meeting,' Shahabuddin said.

Regarding coordination in running the country, he stated that the process for forming the interim government began on his initiative, but the Chief Adviser maintained no coordination once the government was formed. The President alleged that the Chief Adviser never visited him and deliberately tried to keep him away from the country's governance process.

Discussing the growing distance with the interim government led by Mohammed Yunus, the President said, 'At one point, the government conspired to unconstitutionally install a former Chief Justice in my place as President. But only due to the support of the BNP and the Army during that difficult time could the Constitution be protected.'

It is recalled that Shahabuddin took the oath as the 22nd President of the country on April 23, 2023. He was unanimously elected unopposed on February 13 of the same year as the candidate of the then-ruling Awami League. Before becoming President, he was a member of the Awami League's Advisory Council.

Accusations of Lying Against the President

During the interview, the President also spoke openly about the ups and downs of his life and the political situation. He mentioned that the BNP supported him during difficult times.

Following major protests in the country in July 2024 and Sheikh Hasina's resignation and departure from the country on August 5, demands for Shahabuddin's removal from the presidency intensified. However, he was the one who administered the oath to the interim government led by Yunus. The President claims that after taking the oath as Chief Adviser, Yunus did not meet him at Bangabhaban.

Shahabuddin also accused the interim government's press wing of shutting down the President's press wing. Furthermore, he expressed dissatisfaction that the President's photograph was removed from Bangladeshi missions abroad without prior notice.

A few months after the formation of the interim government, on October 19 of the same year, an interview with the President was published in the daily Manabzamin newspaper from Dhaka, in which he said, 'I heard that Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister. But I have no documentary proof of this.'

Subsequently, the then Law Adviser to the interim government, Asif Nazrul, accused Mohammed Shahabuddin of lying. Questions had been raised about how the President managed to remain in office while administrators and even Supreme Court judges resigned following the fall of the Hasina government.

Among those who resigned were the then Chief Justice and the Speaker of Parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. Now, in his interview, the President has clarified that his chair was saved only by the support of the BNP and the armed forces.

Freedom of Expression Will Be Ensured

Shahabuddin claimed that during the interim government's tenure, there were at least two attempts to surround Bangabhaban and create significant pressure demanding his removal or resignation, but he remained steadfast in his position.

When demands arose to remove Shahabuddin from the presidency, senior leaders of the BNP publicly opposed it. Political analyst Mohiuddin Ahmed tells BBC Bengali, 'After the fall of the Hasina government, the BNP was continuously demanding elections. Therefore, the BNP was not in favor of any decision that would jeopardize the election.'

Ahmed adds, 'The BNP did not want the President's issue to bring uncertainty to the election. They wanted elections as soon as possible. I think this is why the party opposed the move to remove the President.'

On October 22, 2024, the day after Bangabhaban was surrounded demanding the President's resignation, three senior leaders of the BNP met Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus to discuss the matter. After the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told reporters that the interim government was urged to focus on ensuring that a new constitutional crisis does not arise in the country.

On the same day, at the BNP Chairman's office, another Standing Committee member, Salahuddin Ahmed, said, 'If the presidential post becomes vacant, a constitutional crisis will arise, and the national election will be delayed. Therefore, the BNP does not want to remove the President immediately.'

When asked about the President's latest interview, the same Salahuddin Ahmed, who is now the Home Minister in the BNP government, said, 'Everyone in the country has the right to express their views. Freedom of expression will be ensured under the Constitution. The government will not curb this under any circumstances.'

BBC