Shahabuddin, 76, was ⁠elected unopposed for a five-year term in 2023 as a nominee of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party.

In November 2025, a Bangladeshi court sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for her role in a violent crackdown on protesters that led to her ouster. 

Elections held this past February propelled Bangladesh National Party’s Tarique Rahman to power. Hasina’s Awami League, which is now banned, was not allowed to participate.