Hussain Muhammad Ershad

Who is Hussain Muhammad Ershad?

Hussain Muhammad Ershad is a Bangladeshi politician who was President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990. Previously, he was Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army and Chief Martial Law Administrator in 1982 following a bloodless coup.

He has twice been honoured as a United Nations Laureate, for contributions on population and environmental issues. He won the parliamentary elections three times after being toppled from the presidency. While in prison awaiting trial, Ershad twice won the parliamentary elections from five different constituencies, in the elections of 1991 and 1996.

In 2008 he was part of the formation of a "Grand Alliance," led by the Awami League, in opposition to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's Four-Party Alliance. He was the first Bangladeshi politician to apologise publicly for wrongdoings of the past and asked for forgiveness. The Grand Alliance won the elections in December 2008, and H M Ershad was elected as a member of parliament.

Ershad contributed to developments in infrastructure and socio-economic growth, divesting some nationalised industries. He brought stability to Bangladesh's Armed Forces. Ershad is currently a member of parliament and Chairman of Jatiya Party, the second-largest party in Bangladesh's coalition government, known as Grand Alliance, as of January 2009.