After a protracted illness, Khaleda Zia, who became Bangladesh’s first female prime minister in 1991 and later developed a bitter rivalry with Sheikh Hasina as they traded power for decades, passed away on Tuesday. She was eighty years old.She passed away following a protracted illness, according to the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). According to her doctors, she had diabetes, arthritis, advanced liver cirrhosis, and issues with her heart and chest.
In early 2025, she traveled to London for medical care, staying for four months before coming home.Khaleda and her center-right BNP continued to garner a lot of support even though she had been out of power since 2006 and had spent several years in jail or under house arrest.The BNP is thought to be the front-runner to win the February parliamentary election.
After living in self-exile for almost 17 years, her son and the party’s interim chairman, Tarique Rahman, 60, returned to the nation last week and is regarded as a strong contender for prime minister.After Hasina was overthrown by a student-led rebellion in August 2024, an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus has been in charge of Bangladesh.
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