Presidential elections were held in Bangladesh on 15 October 1986. The result was a victory for incumbent Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who had assumed the office in 1983 following a military coup. Ershad reportedly won 84.1% of the vote with a voter turnout of 54.9%. However the elections were controversial as they were boycotted by all major opposition candidates and there were reports of irregularities. Background In 1982 a coup d'état led by Army Chief Hussain Muhammad Ershad overthrew democratically elected President Abdus Sattar. Parliament was dissolved and all political parties were banned. Ershad appointed Justice A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as President on 27 March 1982, a position which he held until December 1983 when Ershad assumed the presidency himself. In 1983 Ershad promised to hold presidential elections in May 1984 and to restore parliamentary government the following year. However, neither elections were held until 1986. Amid opposition from the general public, Ershad aimed to legitimise his regime by holding a referendum in March 1985. The official result of the referendum was overwhelmingly in support of his regime, however there were allegations of large-scale vote rigging. Ershad planned to hold presidential elections in early 1986, but was faced with vigorous opposition from the Awami League-led eight-party alliance, Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed seven-party alliance and the left-leaning five-party alliance, which all demanded the lifting of martial law and the holding of parliamentary elections prior to a presidential election. On 1 January 1986 Ershad formed Jatiya Party (Ershad) to represent his interests in elections and, conceding to opposition demands, parliamentary elections were held on 7 May 1986, which were won by Ershad's Jatiya Party. However the result was controversial as the elections were boycotted by the BNP and Awami League, which accused the Jatiya Party of election rigging. A British team of observers termed the elections a "tragedy for democracy" and a "cynically frustrated exercise". Ershad resigned as Chief of Army Staff on 30 August 1986 and, with the approval of the new parliament, a presidential election was scheduled for 15 October 1986. However, the election was boycotted by all major opposition party candidates, who demanded the lifting of martial law. Results The elections saw Ershad win in a landslide victory, reportedly receiving 84% of the vote. However, the result was viewed with scepticism, with reports of widespread irregularities. The New York Times reported that voter turnout was much lower than the government