Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad (Retired) (Bengali: হুসেইন মুহাম্মদ এরশাদ Hussein Muhammad Ershad, born February 1, 1930) is a Bangladeshi politician who was President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990. Previously, he was Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army and then Chief Martial Law Administrator in 1982.
He is a United Nations Laureate and won the parliamentary elections three times after being toppled from the presidency. Although commonly termed as an autocratic military dictator his popularity remained; even when in prison awaiting trial, Ershad won the Parliamentary Elections from five different constituencies twice - in the elections of 1991 & 1996. In 2009 he formed a "Grand Alliance" against the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) Four-Party Alliance and became the first Bangladeshi politician to apologize publicly for all wrongdoings of the past and asked for forgiveness. The Grand Alliance (মহাজোট) won the elections in December 2008 and H M Ershad became a Member of Parliament once again.
Despite all the ethical dilemma and corruption surrounding him, Hussain Muhammad Ershad did manage to leave behind a legacy of developments in infrastructure, socio-economic growth and brought stability to Bangladesh's Armed Forces. The former Chief of Army Staff & President, Hussain Muhammad Ershad is currently a Member of Parliament & Chairman of Jatiya Party - the second largest party in Bangladesh's Coalition Government known as Grand Alliance (Mohajote) as of January 2009.
Read more about Hussain Muhammad Ershad: Early Life and Military Career, Presidency, Downfall, Personal Life, Later Political Career