Election Commission has issued a gazette announcing Awami League nominee Md Shahabuddin as the President of Bangladesh.

According to Presidential Election Act (Act No.27 of 1991) and announcement of election commissioner, Md Shahabuddin has been elected as the President of Bangladesh, said the gazette on Monday.

Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal declared ruling party nominee Md Shahabuddin, Awami League Advisory Council member, the president-elect of Bangladesh.

“As per the election schedule two nomination papers were submitted for Md Shahabuddin on Sunday and one of those was accepted as valid after scrutiny today. There was no need to accept the other nomination paper,” Habibul Awal told reports.

AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud and Office Secretary Biplab Barua were present during scrutinizing the nomination papers.

Shahabuddin has been declared the country's 22nd President as no other political party except AL nominated any candidate for the post.

Earlier on Sunday, an AL delegation came to the Nirbachan Bhaban at Agargaon along with Shahabuddin at 10.45am with the nomination paper signed by party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader as the proposer while its Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud seconded the proposal.

Under the EC procedures the nomination paper was required to be signed by Shahabuddin as well, as consent to his nomination.

On February 7, Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) entrusted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with selecting the party nominee for the presidency as the tenure of incumbent President Abdul Hamid will end on April 24 this year.

A 1971 valiant freedom fighter, Shahabuddin was born in 1949 in Pabna and initially began his career as a lawyer. He started career in the judicial service in 1982 as an assistant judge and subsequently became a district and sessions judge.

He served as the coordinator of Bangbandhu Murder Trial when Awami League returned to power in 1996 elections after 21 years of political wilderness and exposed the Bangabandhu killers to justice.

Shahabuddin was also elected as the general secretary of the Judicial Service Association in 1995.

After his retirement, he was appointed as a commissioner of independent Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

In his student life, Shahabuddin was a political activist and leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League and was the convener of Pabna district's Swadhin Bangla Chhatra Sangram Parishad in 1971.

He was imprisoned for waging a protest after the August 15, 1975 assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a military coup along with most of his family members.

He was also the election commissioner in the last National Council of Bangladesh Awami League.