UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Bangladesh to hold presidential election on August 20, says EC

Q1. Consider the following statements comparing the election of the President in Bangladesh and in India: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In Bangladesh the President is chosen by the members of the unicameral Jatiya Sangsad, whereas in India the electoral college for the office additionally includes elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies.
  2. In Bangladesh, when the office of President falls vacant before the end of the term, the Chief Justice discharges the functions of the President until a successor is elected.
  3. In India the President is elected by secret ballot in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Under Bangladesh's constitutional scheme, the person elected at the presidential election held to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin will hold office for which one of the following periods?

  • A. A fresh five-year term counted from the date of taking the oath of office
  • B. A term of ninety days, renewable by a resolution of the Jatiya Sangsad
  • C. The unexpired remainder of the term of the President who resigned
  • D. A term co-terminous with the life of the Thirteenth Jatiya Sangsad

Q3. The constitutional change that converted Bangladesh's presidential form of government back into a parliamentary one, reducing the President to a ceremonial head of state, was effected in which year and under which government?

  • A. 1991, by a constitutional amendment enacted under the government of Khaleda Zia
  • B. 1975, by a constitutional amendment enacted under the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
  • C. 2011, by a constitutional amendment enacted under the government of Sheikh Hasina
  • D. 1972, by the original Constitution, which vested executive power in a directly elected President

Q4. Consider the following statements about the structure of government in Bangladesh: Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Jatiya Sangsad is a unicameral legislature, and the Constitution Reform Commission that reported in January 2025 recommended replacing it with a bicameral Parliament.
  2. The President is elected for a term of five years and may not hold the office for more than two terms.
  3. The Prime Minister is chosen directly by the voters in a separate ballot at the general election, independently of which party commands a majority in Parliament.
  4. Since the constitutional amendment of 2011, the power to appoint the Prime Minister has vested in the Speaker of Parliament rather than in the President.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q5. Consider the following statements about Bangladesh's presidential election announced for 20 August 2026 and the election that preceded it: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Mohammed Shahabuddin, whose resignation created the vacancy, had himself been elected unopposed as Bangladesh's twenty-second President.
  2. He stepped down in July 2026, before completing the five-year term that began with his oath of office in April 2023.
  3. Unlike the election at which Shahabuddin was chosen, the August 2026 election will be decided by direct popular vote across parliamentary constituencies.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Which one of the following correctly describes the body of electors that will choose Bangladesh's next President at the poll fixed for 20 August 2026?

  • A. All adult citizens of Bangladesh, voting at polling stations across the country
  • B. The elected members of the Jatiya Sangsad, voting in its session hall
  • C. The members of the Jatiya Sangsad together with the elected members of city corporations and district councils
  • D. The Council of Advisers of the outgoing interim government together with the judges of the Appellate Division

Q7. The Constitution Reform Commission set up by Bangladesh's interim government, which recommended a bicameral Parliament and a two-term cap on the Prime Minister, was headed by whom?

  • A. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the interim government
  • B. Nasimul Gani, Cabinet Secretary
  • C. Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad
  • D. Ali Riaz, professor of political science

Q8. The July National Charter, the reform framework put to a nationwide referendum in Bangladesh, consisted of how many points?

  • A. 48
  • B. 64
  • C. 84
  • D. 104

Q9. With reference to Bangladesh's 13th parliamentary election held on 12 February 2026, consider the following: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party won 209 of the 297 seats for which results were declared.
  2. Jamaat-e-Islami secured close to 32 per cent of the votes polled.
  3. The election was held simultaneously with a nationwide referendum on the July National Charter.
  4. Tarique Rahman was sworn in as President of Bangladesh within a week of the results.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q10. Consider the following statements about the constitutional amendment of 2011 in Bangladesh and the arrangement it replaced: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The amendment reduced the number of seats reserved for women in the Jatiya Sangsad.
  2. The same amendment abolished the non-party caretaker government system and recognised Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the Father of the Nation.
  3. The Awami League, which had won a parliamentary majority at the 2008 election, argued that the caretaker arrangement was no longer necessary.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. With reference to India-Bangladesh relations in 2026, consider the following: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Petrapole is the largest single land-border node in India's overland trade with Bangladesh through West Bengal.
  2. Bangladesh was admitted as a full member of BRICS at the New Delhi Summit of September 2026.
  3. The World Bank has estimated that improved transport connectivity could raise Bangladesh's exports to India by close to 300 per cent.
  4. India was represented at the swearing-in of Bangladesh's new Prime Minister in February 2026 by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q12. In India, the Returning Officer for an election to the office of President is appointed by which one of the following authorities?

  • A. The Ministry of Law and Justice, which administers the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act
  • B. The Election Commission of India, in exercise of its powers of superintendence over such elections
  • C. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, from among the officers of the Lok Sabha Secretariat
  • D. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, from among the officers of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat