After the
assassination of Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981, Ershad remained loyal to the government. He ordered the army to suppress the coup attempt by Major General
Abul Manzur. Ershad maintained loyalty to the new president
Abdus Sattar, who had led the BNP to victory in elections in 1982. Ershad came to power in a
bloodless coup on 24 March 1982 as Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA). President
Abdus Sattar was replaced with
A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury. Ershad imitated his predecessor President Zia in many ways. Initially, he too installed a civilian president,
Abul Fazal Muhammed Ahsanuddin Chowdhury (March 1982—December 1983), and became the President only on 11 December 1983. Suspending the constitution and political parties, Ershad took over as president on 11 December 1983 by replacing Chowdhury. Ershad ordered the embassy of the
Soviet Union to reduce their staff after the government allegedly saw embassy personnel with anti-government protesters. The police had detained two Soviet diplomats outside of Dhaka in 1982 and Ershad had expressed fear of the Soviet Union. Ershad supported the
Land Reforms Ordinance of 1984, which granted important rights to tenants for the first time in the history of Bangladesh. A plan for the divestment of government industries promised to move the country away from
socialism. In January 1985, he dissolved his council of ministers ahead of the general election. Bangladeshi lawyers went on work absentation to call for fair election and removal of Ershad. In March 1985, Ershad reimposed martial law on Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia were placed under house arrest. He deployed the Army for the referendum seeking approval to stay in power till the next election. In July 1985, he increased the size of his cabinet to 21 ministers which included
Kazi Zafar Ahmed and
Sirakuul Hossain Khan. Ershad played a key role during the founding summit of the countries of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 1985, which was held in
Dhaka. Member states of South Asian States agreed to cooperate in politics and economics. Ershad brought together the leaders of India and Pakistan,
Rajiv Gandhi and
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, respectively. As president, Ershad approved amendments to the
constitution of Bangladesh which declared Islam as the state religion, abandoning state
secularism, The secular constitution was later restored. to improve rural administration, Ershad introduced the
Upazila and
Zila Parishad system. He held the 'first democratic elections for these village councils' in 1985.
Elections of 1986 and 1988 and long term Military Secretary to the President (1984–1989) Brigadier General ABM Elias Jatiyo Party nominated Ershad in the Presidential Election of 1986, which was organised by his government. The only significant opposition candidates were
Hafezzi Huzur and
Syed Faruque Rahman, a retired colonel who had been accused in the 15 August
Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 3 November
jail killing in 1975.
Parliamentary elections on 7 May 1986, held under the martial law. Main contenders for the parliamentary seats were the Jatiya (People's) Party, formed on 1 January 1986 when the nationwide ban on political activity was lifted, and comprising the five parties which had together formed the pro-government National Front in July 1985 and the opposition leftist Awami League, led by
Sheikh Hasina. The largest political party of the second Parliament, BNP decided to boycott the poll. Election day was held in a climate of unrest and was marked by opposition charges of voting fraud and malpractices. On 10 May, polling was suspended in 109 constituencies. Following re-elections in 37 constituencies on 19 May, final results giving JP an absolute parliamentary majority were announced ten days later. Ershad's JP was declared the winner with 153 seats out of 300. There were 115 opposition and 32 independent members. However, the inaugural House session was boycotted by 119 opposition and independent MPs. The same day, a new cabinet was sworn in. Ershad was elected as president on 15 October 1986. The inauguration saw widespread violence and protests against the government. However, Ershad faced increasing mass demonstrations on the streets mobilised by both the AL led by Sheikh Hasina and the BNP led by Khaleda Zia. The BNP boycotted the 1986 parliamentary election, but the AL which contested in the parliamentary election, later resigned from the parliament. In November 1986,
Pope John Paul II visited Bangladesh. Ershad named Justice Minister
A. K. M. Nurul Islam as vice-president in December. He replaced Minister of Home Affairs
Mahmudal Hasan with
M. A. Matin. In July, eight people died in 54-hour general strike and hundreds were injured. The protest started against a new law that would allow the military to have role in local development which was opposed by the leader of an opposition party, Sheikh Hasina. In October, security forces detained more than 4,300 opposition activists. In November, Ershad banned marches in Dhaka. On 28 November, he declared a state of emergency which was followed by arrest of opposition leaders including
Mirza Golam Hafiz and
Zillur Rahman. On 6 December 1987, Ershad dissolved the parliament in the midst of an opposition campaign calling for his and his government's resignation, and a nationwide state of emergency, which had been declared on 27 November. He stated that he wished to pave the way for fresh elections to receive the people's mandate on various national issues. The polling date was originally set for 28 February before being postponed. In January 1988, the government banned all political rallies. 80 people died in violence related to local council elections in February. The University of Dhaka, which was the centre of opposition against Ershad, saw session jams and decline in academic activities due to the unrest. Polling day was marked by violence and a boycott by the three leading opposition groups − the Awami League (an eight-party alliance) headed by
Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the Islamist
Jamaat-e-Islami and the right-wing BNP, all of which alleged electoral fraud. In this context, the ruling Jatiya Dal, or Nationalist Party, reportedly increased its parliamentary majority to 251 seats (including 18 unopposed), independents captured 25 seats and several minor parties shared the rest. On 27 March, a new Council of Ministers headed by Ershad was sworn in. The Prime Minister is Moudud Ahmed. In June 1988, Ershad led the parliament in making Islam the State Religion of Bangladesh. He dissolved the Election Reforms Commission after its chairman Justice
Badrul Haider Chowdhury criticised the government. Bangladesh saw nationwide floods which killed more than 121 people. More than 680 died in Monsoon floods.
Pressure for democracy In January 1990, the government banned protests outside of the parliament. Bangladesh sent two brigades to join the United States led coalition forces in the first Gulf War. The effective end of the Cold War unleashed democratic forces and dried up international support for military rule in Bangladesh. A wide umbrella of political parties united against Ershad. Khaleda Zia led the BNP, which allied with the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, and
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Student activists of various parties united in anti-regime street demonstrations. They were joined by labour unions and government workers. By late November 1990, the uprising shut down government services and paralysed the major cities. In a bid to subdue the opposition, Ershad attempted to declare martial law, but Chief of the Army Staff Lieutenant General
Nuruddin Khan refused to support him. Ultimately Ershad was forced to step down on 6 December 1990. Lieutenant General
Mohammad Noor Uddin Khan removed officers loyal to Ershad. Ershad appointed Justice
Shahabuddin Ahmed to form an acceptable neutral
caretaker government and prepare for democratic elections. Shahabuddin immediately placed Ershad under arrest and detained him, an action declared illegal in 1998 in a case appealed to the nation's
Supreme Court. Although anti-Ershad sentiment was strong, Ershad contested the 1996 election from jail and still won all five different constituencies he had contested from in 1991. The new government led by the BNP's Khaleda Zia instituted a number of corruption charges. Ershad was convicted in two charges till date, while all others were dismissed and thrown out of court. == Legacy ==