Kazi Sazzad Zahir Chandan has been elected president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) for a four-year term, with Abdullah Al Kafee Ratan appointed as general secretary. Both were previously members of the party’s presidium.
The new leadership was chosen on Wednesday during the CPB’s 13th Congress, held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka. The congress, which began on Friday, was conducted under the slogan: “Establish a leftist democratic government against exploitation and inequality to bring social change.”
They succeed outgoing president Shah Alam and former general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, who were elected at the party’s 12th Congress in 2022. Prince confirmed the transition, stating, “The new president, general secretary, and other committee posts have been filled. I am now serving as a member.”
Sazzad brings decades of experience in leftist student politics, having served as president of the Bangladesh Students’ Union (BSU) from 1994 to 1996. Ratan, meanwhile, previously held the position of social welfare secretary for the BSU’s Dhaka metropolitan unit and later became president of its Dhaka University committee.
The newly elected leadership assumes office at a time when the CPB continues to advocate for progressive socio-economic reforms and a broader leftist alliance in national politics.