Badruddoza Chowdhury

Badruddoza Chowdhury (born 11 October 1930) is a Bangladeshi politician and physician who served as the President of Bangladesh from May to July 2001. He is the founding chairman of the Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh political party. Born in Chittagong, Chowdhury was a physician by profession before entering politics. He was a member of the BNP and was elected to parliament multiple times. He served as the Foreign Minister and Health Minister in the BNP-led government. In 2001, Chowdhury was elected President of Bangladesh by the parliament. However, his presidency was short-lived — he was forced to resign after just 82 days following political pressure. His refusal to greet visiting Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the airport was cited as one of the reasons. After his forced resignation, Chowdhury founded the Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh party in 2004 as a centrist political alternative. He has continued to be active in Bangladeshi politics and is known for his moderate, progressive political stance.