Article 50 The President's five-year term and two-term limit
Term of office of President
Fixed terms and a two-term limit prevent any one person from holding the highest office indefinitely. The continuity rule means the State always has a Head of State, even in a crisis.
The President's five-year term runs from the date the President enters upon office after taking the oath. The term is fixed by the Constitution itself and does not depend on the life of the Parliament that elected the President.
If an MP is elected President, that MP's seat in Parliament falls vacant on the day the MP becomes President. While in office, the President cannot be elected to Parliament, keeping the Head of State separate from party contests in the House.
A President who wishes to leave early writes and signs a letter of resignation addressed to the Speaker. If the office falls vacant, Article 54 makes the Speaker act as President until Parliament elects a new President.
When the term expires, the President stays in office until a successor enters upon office, so there is never a gap. No person may serve more than two terms in total, whether or not the terms are consecutive.
In plain English
How Article 50 works
Article 50 sets the President's term at five years from the day the President takes office. To avoid any gap, an outgoing President stays in office until the successor takes over. No one may serve more than two terms, whether they are back to back or separated by a break. The President can resign at any time by a signed letter addressed to the Speaker. A sitting President cannot be elected as a member of Parliament, and an MP who is elected President must give up the seat in Parliament on the day of taking office as President.
In practice
The President's term is independent of Parliament's: a President elected by one Parliament can serve on into the next. This continuity mattered in August 2024, when the President remained in office after the Prime Minister resigned and Parliament was dissolved, sought the Appellate Division's opinion under Article 106, and swore in the interim government. The continuity proviso also prevents a vacuum if Parliament is not sitting when a term ends. Changes to how the President is elected were discussed during the 2025 reform consultations without consensus and remain proposals only.
The text
What Article 50 says
50. (1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the President shall hold office for a term of five years form the date on which he enters upon his office:
Provided that notwithstanding the expiration of his term the President shall continue to hold office until his successor enters upon office.
(2) No person shall hold office as President for more than two terms, whether or not the terms are consecutive.
(3) The President may resign his office by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker.
(4) The President during his term of office shall not be qualified for election as a member of Parliament, and if a member of Parliament is elected as President he shall vacate his seat in Parliament on the day on which he enters upon his office as President.
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. The Bangla text is authoritative (Article 153). Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
History
Amendments
- Twelfth Amendment 1991 →Chapters I, II and III of Part IV were substituted for the former Chapters I and II by section 3 of Act XXVIII of 1991, restoring the parliamentary system of government.
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 50: frequently asked questions
How long is the President's term in Bangladesh?
Five years from the date the President enters upon office, under Article 50(1). The President continues to hold office after the term expires until a successor enters upon office, so the State is never without a Head of State.
Can a person be President of Bangladesh more than twice?
No. Article 50(2) provides that no person may hold office as President for more than two terms, whether or not the terms are consecutive. A person removed by impeachment is also barred from standing again under Article 48(4).
Sources
- Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Article 50 (Laws of Bangladesh)
- The Financial Express: Interim government formed on SC nod (10 August 2024)
- Prothom Alo English: Consensus reached on 12 fundamental reform proposals (29 July 2025)
This guide explains the Constitution for general understanding. It is not legal advice. Constitutional reform proposals under discussion in 2026 are described as proposals until enacted.
Constitutional and writ practice
Need to rely on Article 50?
Our lawyers advise on writ petitions, fundamental rights and public law before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.