1978 Bangladeshi presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Bangladesh on 3 June 1978. They were the first direct elections for presidency in the country, as the president had previously been elected by the Jatiya Sangsad. The result was a victory for Ziaur Rahman, who received 77% of the vote. Voter turnout was 54%.

They were the first presidential elections since the August 1975 coup that overthrew and killed president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and led to a military regime. The 1978 elections were called by the regime to lend legitimacy to its rule. The elections took place amid martial law, repression of the political opposition and curtailment of press freedoms. Other political parties were weakly organized.