Iajuddin Ahmed
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| Iajuddin Ahmed ইয়াজউদ্দিন আহম্মেদ |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 06 September 2002 |
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| Prime Minister | Khaleda Zia Fazlul Haque Fakhruddin Ahmed |
| Preceded by | Jamiruddin Sircar |
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| Born | 1 February 1931 Munshiganj, Bengal |
| Political party | Independent |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Iajuddin Ahmed (Bengali: ইয়াজউদ্দিন আহম্মেদ) (born February 1, 1931) is the current President of Bangladesh and has been in office since 2002. He was born in Bikrampur of Dhaka District, erstwhile Bengal province, British India (now Munshiganj District, Bangladesh).
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[edit] Early life
As the son of Moulvi Ibrahim, Ahmed obtained his B.Sc. and M.S. at the University of Dhaka in 1952 and 1954 respectively and later received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in 1958 and 1962 respectively from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States.[1]
[edit] Teacher
Returning to his former university, he joined the University of Dhaka as an assistant professor in the Department of Soil Science. He moved up in the ranks until he became a full professor in the department. He held the post of chairman of the Soil Science Department of Dhaka University and dean of the Faculty of Biological Science of the same University. He was also provost of Salimullah Muslim Hall. He was responsible for inventing a process of preserving nutrients in the soil and later releasing them according to the needs of the vegetation. Professor Ahmed also worked as visiting professor in Cornell University in the United States in 1984 and the German Technical University and Gottingen University in Germany in 1984. Ahmed and his current wife, Dr. Anwara Begum, have one child, son Imtaz; he has two others, daughter Susan and son Adam, by a prior marriage.[1]
[edit] Political career
Prof. Ahmed was an adviser in the caretaker government in 1991. He was also chairman of the Public Service Commission from 1991 to 1993 and chairman of the University Grants Commission from 1995 to 1999.[1]
[edit] Presidency (2002 - present)
Ahmed became president of Bangladesh in 2002 after becoming the only candidate to register for presidential elections.
[edit] By-pass heart operation
On the afternoon of May 23, 2006, President Iajuddin Ahmed was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka. Sources at the CMH said he was seriously ill and was under the observation of a team of elite doctors. On their advice President Ahmed was taken to Singapore on Wednesday, May 24, 2006. The 75-year-old president underwent a successful by-pass heart operation at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.[2]
[edit] Chief Advisor of the Caretaker Government
Ahmed was sworn in as the Chief Advisor of the Caretaker Government at 8.00 pm (Bangladesh standard time) on October 29, 2006 after the main political parties failed to agree on a candidate. This move created controversy as the opposition parties alleged that the constitutional guideline on recruitment of the Chief Adviser was not properly followed. He was supposed to serve in an interim capacity to oversee the forthcoming elections, planned for January 22, 2007, while remaining president. The Awami League, headed by Sheikh Hasina, and its allies opposed Ahmed as head of the caretaker government, alleging that he favoured Khaleda Zia and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and demanded his resignation from this position. The Awami League and its allies announced that they would boycott the election. Four important advisors of his caretaker cabinet resigned in December 2006, accusing the Chief Adviser of taking the decision of Army deployment while ignoring the advisor council's recommendation against it.[3]
[edit] Resignation as Chief Advisor
On 11 January 2007 Iajuddin Ahmed resigned from his position as Chief Advisor of the Caretaker Government, admitted the failure of the Election Commission and his government in creating a proper atmosphere for the election, bestowed the responsibility on Former Justice Fazlul Haque temporarily, abolished the board of advisors and announced a state of emergency from that day until further announcement.[4] The next day, Ahmed appointed Fakhruddin Ahmed to be the new chief advisor.
Although Ahmed's term as President was due to end on September 5, 2007, it was announced on that date that he would remain in office until after the election of a new parliament (planned to be held by late 2008), which will in turn elect a president, as the constitution provides for the president to remain in office until the election of a successor.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official Biography
- ^ The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 738
- ^ "Is Bangladesh heading towards disaster?", BBC, 2007-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ "Presidential Speech" BTV News, January 12, 2007.
- ^ "Bangladesh president's term will continue until successor chosen, government says", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), September 5, 2007.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Jamiruddin Sircar |
President of Bangladesh 2002 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Khaleda Zia |
Interim Prime Minister of Bangladesh 2006 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Fazlul Haque |
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