[3] In 1982, a coup d'état led by Chief of Army Staff Hussain Muhammad Ershad overthrew democratically elected president Abdus Sattar, suspended the Constitution and imposed martial law.

[3] Voters were asked "Do you support the policies of President Ershad, and do you want him to continue to run this administration until a civilian government is formed through elections?"

[2] However, there were allegations of large-scale vote rigging,[3] and a 2000 report by the Bangladesh Institute of Parliamentary Studies noted that "many local and foreign observers found the figure inflated and claimed that the turnout was not more than 15 to 20 percent.

[5] Subsequently, presidential elections were held on 15 October 1986, which were boycotted by all major opposition party candidates, allowing Ershad a landslide victory amid reports of electoral irregularities.

[5] In November 1986, Parliament passed the seventh constitutional amendment bill, protecting Ershad and his regime from prosecution for actions taken under the years of military rule.