Abdul Hamid

Mohammad Abdul Hamid (born 1 January 1944) is a Bangladeshi retired politician and lawyer who served as president of Bangladesh from 2013 to 2023, making him the longest-serving president in the country's history. A political career spanning more than six decades, he was a lifelong affiliate of the Awami League, and was elected a member of parliament (MP) in Pakistan and independent Bangladesh for seven terms. He previously served as the speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad in 2001 and from 2009 to 2013, deputy speaker from 1996 to 2001, and deputy leader of the opposition from 2001 to 2006.

Born in the Haor-prone area of Kishoreganj, he joined student politics in the wake of Bengali nationalism against Pakistan via the East Pakistan Chhatra League in 1959. He joined the Awami League (AL) a decade later and was elected as the youngest member of the National Assembly in the 1970 Pakistani general election. After President Yahya Khan postponed the assembly, Hamid spearheaded the March non-cooperation movement in Kishoreganj, and actively participated in and organised the Bangladesh Liberation War. After the independence of Bangladesh, he was elected as an MP in 1973, but was imprisoned after the 15 August coup and the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. After his release in 1978, he remained active in AL politics, elected as an MP in 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008; and was appointed to various senior posts in the parliament and within the party, mainly by the choice of Sheikh Hasina. As speaker, he served as the acting president during and after the illness and death of Zillur Rahman in 2013. He was then elected unopposed in the 2013 presidential election.