Bangladeshi President Md Sahabuddin resigned on Friday, according to the source, drawing coverage from Reuters, the BBC, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the South China Morning Post, Moneycontrol and WION. Al Jazeera cited a statement from the president’s press secretary saying Sahabuddin was leaving office after being diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy. Reuters reported that the 76-year-old president, who took office in April 2023, formally resigned despite a term stated to run until April 2028.

International reports also focused on the political context surrounding the departure. BBC and the South China Morning Post said pressure on Sahabuddin grew after discussion of Sheikh Hasina’s possible return to Bangladesh. Moneycontrol linked the resignation to alleged secret contact and a recently disclosed phone conversation with Hasina, while the cited reports described health as the stated reason.

The reports said the parliamentary speaker will perform presidential duties until a successor is elected. Under the constitution, a new head of state must be chosen by members of parliament within 90 days of the vacancy. They said Sahabuddin submitted his written resignation to Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed after the speaker returned from medical treatment in Thailand.

The National Citizen Party, or NCP, has demanded the arrest and prosecution of former president Mohammad Shahabuddin. The demand was made by the party’s Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain at a press conference held on Friday evening at the party’s temporary central office. Hossain said Shahabuddin, also referred to as Chuppu, should be arrested immediately and brought under trial.

Hossain said the narrative presented in Shahabuddin’s resignation letter was irrelevant. He argued that, although illness was cited, the way the resignation letter was framed could create room for a “safe exit” for Shahabuddin. The NCP opposes any such safe exit, Hossain said, and maintains that he must face trial for the offences the party says he committed.

The NCP leader described Shahabuddin as an accomplice of fascism and a fascist. He said that if Shahabuddin is not brought to trial, justice for those who gave their lives in the 2024 mass uprising would remain incomplete. Hossain urged the government to act promptly, arguing that following Shahabuddin’s resignation there is no legal basis for immunity from liability.

Mohammed Shahabuddin formally resigned as Bangladesh’s president on Friday afternoon, citing illness and an inability to continue carrying out his duties. Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad confirmed the resignation at a news conference. Despite leaving office, Shahabuddin will receive lifetime pension payments and several state-provided privileges under the existing law governing presidential remuneration and benefits.

Under The Presidents (Remuneration and Privileges) Act, 1975, amended through May 2016, a president who serves for more than six months or completes a full term receives a monthly pension equal to 75 percent of their last salary until death. As a former president, Shahabuddin will also be entitled to a personal assistant, an attendant and a government-determined annual allowance for official expenses.

The law also provides free use of government vehicles for official events, a government telephone connection at his residence with bills paid within prescribed limits, medical facilities equivalent to those of a minister and a diplomatic passport. He may stay free at government circuit houses or rest houses while travelling domestically. If he has retired from another government post, he may choose either that retirement benefit or the presidential benefit.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish said former president Md Sahabuddin’s resignation should have occurred much earlier and does not end his accountability. In a joint statement published on July 24, the party’s amir, Maulana Mamunul Haque, and secretary general, Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad, called for an impartial and transparent investigation into allegations against him, followed by action under the law.

The leaders said Sahabuddin had lost the moral and political legitimacy to remain president after the fall of the then government through the July mass uprising. They said political parties and participants in the uprising had demanded his resignation from that time. They also alleged that the BNP initially did not support the resignation demand for political reasons, and that he was compelled to resign only after the party changed its position.

The statement alleged inconsistencies in Sahabuddin’s remarks about Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, saying these raised questions about his neutrality and constitutional responsibilities. Khelafat Majlish also cited allegations of misuse of state power, constitutional violations and involvement in controversial activities. It urged legal measures against all those involved in past abuses of power, use of state institutions for partisan interests and deprivation of people’s rights.

Mawlana Mamunul Haque, writing in an article published on July 24, 2026, examines Bangladesh’s political debate over the July Charter and a referendum. He says opposition political parties are primarily demanding implementation of the referendum verdict, alleging that the current government is not interested in carrying it out and is instead seeking to obstruct or derail it. The article says its first part will cover the process from drafting the July Charter to holding the referendum, alongside the author’s position on why July is their struggle.

Haque argues that the political change of July-August 2024 is more accurately described as a mass uprising than a full revolution. In his account, the government formed after the fall of the previous administration did not declare itself a revolutionary government and instead maintained continuity with the earlier state structure. The National Citizen Party, which he identifies as a leading organization of the July movement, first raised the demand for a July Charter.

The interim government later initiated the charter process through the National Consensus Commission. The commission reviewed proposals from six reform commissions and held three rounds of dialogue over 72 days with 33 political parties. Unresolved disagreements were preserved as notes of dissent, while agreed matters formed the July National Charter, reflecting goals of preventing fascism and eliminating inequality.

Several student organisations demonstrated in Kolkata on Friday, backed by the Kakaroch Janata Party, to protest alleged question paper leaks in India. Police and security forces used batons and fired tear-gas shells to disperse protesters at Dorina Crossing in the Dharmatala, Esplanade area, according to a senior official cited in the report.

Protesters blocked the Dorina Crossing area and were reported to have thrown shoes and water bottles at police personnel on duty. Police were unable to fully remove the demonstrators from the area despite the baton charge and tear-gas firing, and the protesters continued their demonstration.

Police said a section of the protesters identified themselves as supporters of the Kakaroch Janata Party. According to the police account, they had cancelled their own gathering after failing to obtain permission for a separate protest march. The group later joined left-wing workers at the tail end of the procession in Dharmatala, police said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said mutual respect, harmony and human love are the true lessons of religious practice. He made the remarks on Friday as chief guest at a discussion meeting for the 2026 Sri Sri Jagannathdev Ulto Rathjatra festival at Dhakeshwari National Temple in the capital. He said genuine believers never disrespect the faith of others and that people of all religions seek closeness to the Almighty in their own ways.

The minister said religious figures from different faiths have worshipped the Almighty through different paths. Whether called Allah, God or Bhagwan, genuinely devout people respect the love of God held by followers of other religions, he said. He described Rathjatra and Ulto Rathjatra as symbols of a distinctive bond between people and divine love, alongside prayers and worship in Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and other faiths.

Swapan urged people to remain alert to attempts by individuals and groups to use religious sentiment for political interests and create division. He said the government would not accept divisions based on religion, race, language, or hill and plains. Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md Abdus Salam inaugurated the festival and attended the meeting chaired by Nitai Swami Maharaj, head of Swamibagh Ashram and general secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh.

A legal analysis published on July 24, 2026, examines whether Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s expulsion of Satkhira-4 lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam automatically ends his parliamentary membership. Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Ahmed A. Khan argues that, under the straightforward reading of existing law, expulsion by itself does not vacate an MP’s seat.

The analysis says Article 70 of the Constitution covers resignation from a party and voting against it, but does not mention expulsion. Article 66, concerning conviction for an offence involving moral turpitude and a prison sentence of at least two years, also does not apply to an internal party disciplinary decision. It cites earlier cases involving expelled lawmakers Abu Hena and Abdul Latif Siddiqui, while noting that Bangladesh has no authoritative ruling on this precise question.

The author says the Election Commission could consider an argument based on Articles 12(1)(b) and 12(8) of the Representation of the People Order, but that would require an expanded interpretation. If a dispute is properly raised, the Speaker must refer it to the commission within 30 days under the 1980 law and Rule 178. The commission’s decision would be final.

Mahdi Amin, an adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, said protecting human rights, the rule of law and freedom of expression is the government’s central goal. He made the remarks on Friday at the Bengal Delta Conference 2026 at Hotel InterContinental in the capital, organised by the Dhaka Institute of Research and Analytics. He said the government derives its authority from the people and took office through a free, fair and acceptable election.

Amin said the BNP, other pro-democracy parties, activists and people from different professions faced repression during the previous 16 years of authoritarian rule. He alleged that thousands of people were killed extrajudicially or died in custody, while more than 700 disappeared people have not returned. He also said the prime minister and his family had experienced human rights violations.

The spokesperson claimed there had been no incidents of human rights violations, political repression, custodial deaths or enforced disappearances during the government’s first five months. He said the administration seeks to end retaliatory politics, ensure fair justice, promote reconciliation and allow differing political views to coexist. Every ministry has set specific 180-day targets, he added, while women’s and youth empowerment and inclusive development are part of the government’s agenda.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman said President Md Sahabuddin Chuppu’s resignation had, though belatedly, removed the “black shadow” of authoritarianism from the nation. He made the remarks at an emergency news conference organised by Jamaat-e-Islami at the opposition leader’s official residence on Minto Road in the capital on the evening of July 24, 2026.

Rahman said one of the demands of the mass uprising was that Sahabuddin Chuppu should not remain president. He alleged that Chuppu had previously stated Sheikh Hasina submitted a resignation letter to him, then later denied that statement. Rahman described this as lying and a violation of the oath taken as president.

The Jamaat chief congratulated Speaker of the National Parliament Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed on assuming duties as acting president. He urged him to perform the role impartially, honestly and in accordance with the constitution, saying Jamaat would offer full cooperation. Rahman said the party wanted the next president to be someone who is not a flatterer. He also accused the former president of acting as a silent collaborator in the 2024 massacre.

Khelafat Majlis has called on the government to form a Constitutional Reform Council and take effective steps for the full implementation of the July Charter. The demand was made at the party’s central executive meeting on Friday, chaired by its amir Maulana Abdul Basit Azad and conducted by secretary general Dr Ahmad Abdul Qader.

Party leaders said the BNP wants to amend the constitution through its own process while disregarding what they described as the mandate of the majority. They said people want reforms that would block all routes to the restoration of autocracy and fascism. The leaders argued that the July National Charter contains proposals that would bring broad changes to the constitution’s fundamental structure.

Khelafat Majlis said incorporating those proposals through the current amendment process would not be sustainable. It maintained that a majority vote for “yes” in a referendum had already granted the proposed council structural authority for fundamental constitutional changes. The party also demanded faster judicial processes over the July and Shapla massacres and other alleged fascist acts, while condemning repression and arrests during protests across India, including Delhi.

The Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, formed around alleged question leaks in Indian public examinations, has grown into one of the country’s largest recent student movements. Thousands of students are demanding education-system reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On Monday, protesters marched toward India’s Parliament under a planned “Chalo Parliament” programme, where police used tear gas and baton charges to disperse them. The source says more students have returned to the streets each day since then.

Environmental activist and reformer Sonam Wangchuk supported the movement with a 26-day hunger strike, saying he lost 11 kilograms. He ended the fast on Thursday night, but student leaders said protests would continue until their demands are met. Researchers cited in the report argue that examinations and education can unite people across caste, class and gender divisions, making this a challenge distinct from earlier ideologically based protests.

Researcher Rahul Verma said Monday’s gathering may indicate the movement has crossed an important tipping point, with its future dependent on how the government responds. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accused opposition parties of using students as political tools and said the government was committed to resolving their problems through Parliament. Analysts differ over whether the movement will have lasting political effects or fade after offering an outlet for public anger.

Following the resignation of Md. Shahabuddin, the presidency has become vacant. Citing Bangabhaban sources, Amar Desh reported that former president Chuppu will hold a farewell meeting with Bangabhaban staff on Saturday, July 25, before leaving the official residence on Sunday, July 26, to move to his home in Gulshan.

Under Article 50(3) of the Constitution, a president may resign through a signed letter addressed to the speaker. Article 54 states that when the presidential office is vacant, or when the president cannot perform duties because of absence, illness or another reason, the speaker will perform presidential duties until a new president assumes office.

Article 123(2) requires a new presidential election within 90 days when the office falls vacant due to death, resignation or removal. Under Article 48(1), members of parliament elect the president. Parliamentary Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed returned to the country on Friday, two days earlier than planned from a medical trip to Thailand because of the possibility of Chuppu's resignation.

National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan has called for the arrest of Md Sahabuddin, who resigned as president on Friday, July 24, 2026. Bhuiyan made the demand in a Facebook post published at 5:40 pm, according to the report.

In his post, Bhuiyan described Md Sahabuddin Chuppu as an accomplice of fascism and said he must be arrested immediately. Earlier on Friday afternoon, Sahabuddin resigned from the presidency, citing physical illness as the reason.

With the presidency vacant, Speaker of the National Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed responsibility as acting president under the constitution. At an emergency press conference in the parliament’s oath room, he said Sahabuddin had submitted his resignation letter and that it had been accepted. Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Attorney General Ruhul Quddus Talukdar and parliament secretariat officials attended the briefing.

US President Donald Trump’s public support has fallen sharply following his decision to conduct a military operation in Iran, according to a new opinion poll cited in a report published on July 24, 2026. The survey indicates that his popularity over handling the Iran conflict has dropped close to its lowest level in history.

A Washington Post poll put Trump’s net approval rating for handling the Iran conflict at minus 40. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten described the result as “historically very unpopular,” according to the report.

The poll also found that support for the military operation has declined steadily since the conflict began. Current backing for the operation is among the lowest levels recorded for modern US military interventions. Analysts said the findings indicate growing opposition among the US public to the Trump administration’s military actions on the Iran issue.