Zillur Rahman জিল্লুর রহমান
President of Bangladesh
Incumbent
Assumed office  12 February 2009
Prime Minister	Hasina Wazed
Preceded by	Iajuddin Ahmed
Born	9 March 1929 (1929-03-09) (age 80) Bhairab, British Raj (now part of Kishoreganj, Bangladesh)
Political party	Bangladesh Awami League
Spouse(s)	Ivy Rahman (Deceased)
Alma mater	University of Dhaka
Religion	Sunni Islam

Mohammad Zillur Rahman (Bengali: জিল্লুর রহমান, born 9 March 1929) is the President of Bangladesh and a senior presidium member of the Awami League.^[1] He was declared the nineteenth president by the Election Commission of Bangladesh on 11 February 2009 when no other candidate filed to run in the presidential election since the Awami League won the vast majority of seats in the just completed parliamentary election,^[2] and he was sworn in on 12 February 2009.^[3]

Contents 1 Background and education 2 Political career 3 Personal life 4 References

[edit] Background and education

Zillur Rahman was born on 9 March 1929 in Bhairab Upazila, Kishorganj.^[4] His father, Meher Ali Mian, was a renowned lawyer, the Chairman of the then Mymensingh Local Board and the Member of the District Board.^[1] In 1945, he passed Matriculation which is equivalent to O level from Bhairab K. B. High School. He passed Intermediate of Arts (IA) which is equivalent to A level in 1947 from Dhaka Intermediate college^[5]. He earned a law degree and Master's Degree in history from Dhaka University.^[1]

[edit] Political career

Zillur Rahman participated in the Bengali language movement of 1952. Later, as an Awami League candidate, he was elected as a member of parliament in the 1970 national elections of Pakistan. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Rahman actively participated in the Government-in-exile.^[1]

After the war, Rahman became the General Secretary of Awami League in 1972. He was elected as a member of the parliament in the 1973 general elections. After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Zillur Rahman was arrested by the army junta, and spent four years in prison. ^[1]

Rahman served as a minister in the Awami League government between 1996 and 2001.^[1]

[edit] Personal life

Rahman was married to Awami League politician Ivy Rahman, who was the Women's Affairs secretary of the party. Ivy Rahman was killed in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack launched by Harkat ul Jihad al Islami (HUJI) terrorists.^[6]

[edit] References

Political offices
Preceded by Iajuddin Ahmed	President of Bangladesh 2009 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e Presidents of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman · Syed Nazrul Islam† · Abu Sayeed Chowdhury · Mohammad Ullah · Sheikh Mujibur Rahman · Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad · Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem · Ziaur Rahman · Abdus Sattar · Hussain Muhammad Ershad · A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury · Hussain Muhammad Ershad · Shahabuddin AhmedI · Abdur Rahman Biswas · Shahabuddin Ahmed · A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury · Jamiruddin SircarI · Iajuddin Ahmed · Zillur Rahman (I) interim · (†)acting