Mohammad Shahabuddin elected as 22nd President of Bangladesh
Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, a former judge and independence fighter, was chosen as Bangladesh`s 22nd President without any opposition. The Chief Election Commissioner published a gazette announcing the appointment of the next president of Bangladesh. President Mohammad Abdul Hamid will be succeeded by 74-year-old Chuppu, according to the country`s Chief Election Commission.
The tenure of incumbent Hamid, the longest-serving president of Bangladesh, will end on April 23, and according to the Constitution, he cannot hold a third term. Senior Awami League leader and seven-time lawmaker Hamid was elected Bangladesh president in the last two elections. He was sworn in for his second term on April 24, 2018.
Key points
- After his retirement as a district and sessions judge, Chuppu served as one of the commissioners of the independent Anti-Corruption Commission.
- He later joined politics and became a member of the Awami League Advisory Council, which comprises senior party leaders and technocrats.
- However, Chuppu will have to relinquish the party post to become the titular head of the State.
- Born in the northwestern Pabna district, Chuppu was a leader of Awami League’s student and youth wings in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
- He also took part in the 1971 Liberation War and was imprisoned for waging a protest after the August 15, 1975 assassination of Bangladesh’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — the father of Prime Minister Hasina — in a military coup along with most of his family members.
- The coup also led to the toppling of the Awami League government. In 1982, he was inducted into the country’s judicial service.
- Chuppu served as the coordinator of the Bangabandhu murder trial when Awami League returned to power in the 1996 elections.
- His wife Rebeka Sultana is the former joint secretary to the government.
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Cabinet approves MoU between India , Chile in Agricultural Sector
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in agriculture and related areas between India and Chile was approved by the Union Cabinet. The MoU will be in effect as soon as it is signed and last for 5 years from the date of execution before being automatically renewed for an additional 5 years.
A Chile-India Agricultural Working Group will be constituted for the supervision, review and assessment of the implementation of this MoU. The group will also be responsible for establishing frequent communication and coordination, according to an official release.
Key Points
- The main areas of cooperation envisaged are agricultural policies for development of modern agriculture, organic agriculture to facilitate the bilateral trade of organic products, as well as promote the exchange of policies aimed to develop organic production in both countries, science and innovation to explore partnerships for innovation in the agricultural sector among Indian and Chilean institutes, and collaborate to confront common challenges.
- The meetings of the agricultural working group will be held once a year, alternatively in Chile and India, the release said.
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