Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi former army chief and politician who was the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990 . His administration as president has been compared by many to a military dictatorship. He founded a political party called Jatiya Party which later split into several factions. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly from Rangpur-3 constituency in the 11th National Parliament election held in 2018 and served as the Leader of the Opposition in the 11th National Parliament.

In 1983, while serving as the army chief under the elected government, he assumed power and ruled the country through military rule. Announcing the intention to re-introduce democratic governance in the country, he called the parliamentary general elections in 1986. He participated in this election as a candidate of the self-founded Jatiya Party and was later elected as the President of Bangladesh for five years. In 1990, he was forced to resign under the pressure of mass protests and lack of support from the army.

He was born on 1 February 1930 in Dinhata Town, Cooch Behar District, Jalpaiguri Division, West Bengal State, India. He was educated in Rangpur district and graduated from Dhaka University in 1950. 

In 1951 he joined the Pakistan Army Officers Training School (located at Kohat) and was commissioned in 1952.  In 1960 - 1962, he was working as an adjutant in the center of Chittagong East Bengal Regiment . In 1967, he completed the staff course from Quetta Staff College.  In 1968 he was Major of 54 Brigade in Sialkot. After being promoted as lieutenant colonel in 1969 , he served as the captain of the 3rd East Bengal Regiment in 1969-1970 and as the captain of the 7th East Bengal Regiment in 1971-1972 .

Ershad was on vacation in Rangpur when the liberation war started on March 25, 1971 . But, without participating in the liberation war, he went to Pakistan  . He also returned in 1973 when the stranded Bengalis from Pakistan returned to the country. Attended National Defense Course at Agra Cantonment at the time of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's death .

After returning home from Pakistan, he was appointed as Adjutant General in Bangladesh Army in 1973. He was promoted to Colonel on 12 December 1973 and Brigadier in June 1975. On August 24, 1975, while undergoing training in India, he was promoted to Major General and appointed Deputy Chief of Staff. After the military coup on August 15, Ershad sent a message through Bangladesh's Delhi Mission expressing his desire to return home.  He was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1978 by the then President Ziaur Rahman and Ershad took over as Army Chief in December of the same year. 

After the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981 , Ershad's political ambitions were revealed. On March 24, 1982, Ershad overthrew the elected government of President Abdus Satter and seized power. By 11 December 1983, he ruled the country as the Chief Military Administrator. On that day he took over the power of the country from the President Justice AFM Ahsanuddin Chowdhury . Ershad introduced the upazila system in the country and the first upazila parishad elections were held in 1985. He founded the Jatiya Party in 1986 and was elected as the President of the country for five years in 1986 on the nomination of this party. Bangladesh Awami League and Jamaat participated in this election thoughBangladesh Nationalist Party boycotted this election. His party won the majority of seats in the general elections. In the face of the movement of opposition parties, the President dissolved this Parliament on 7 December 1987. All parties boycotted the 1988 general elections. Ershad was removed from power on December 6, 1990 through a joint movement with the people of the country against the dictatorship of Ershad.

Presidential election, 1986 (held on October 15, 1986) won by Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad. 16 candidates submitted nomination papers in this election. As no candidate's nomination papers were dropped in selection, the number of valid candidates stands at 16. As 4 candidates withdrew their candidature, the final contest was 12 candidates.

There were 12 contestants in the 1986 presidential election: 1. Mr. Aliul Islam Chowdhury (Sukku Mia) 2. Alhaj Maulana Khairul Islam Jessori 3. Alhaj Major (retired) Afsar Uddin 4. Mr. Muhammad Anshar Ali 5. Mr. Maulana Mohammadullah (Hafezji Huzur) 6. Mr. Mohammad Khalilur Rahman Majumder 7. Mr. Md. Abdus Samad 8. Mr. Md. Zaheer Khan 9. Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Syed Farooq Rahman 10. Syed Munirul Huda Chowdhury 11. SC: Ltd. (Retd.) Moazzem Hossain Chowdhury 12. Mr. Hussain Mohammad Ershad