By SM Najmus Sakib
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladesh prime ministerial hopeful Tarique Rahman on Friday assumed the chair of the country’s main political party, a post recently made vacant by the death of his mother Khaleda Zia, herself a former premier.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) made the decision on Friday night, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the party’s secretary general, told a briefing in the capital Dhaka. Alamgir earlier said Rahman would become prime minister if the party wins the next general elections.
The dynasty will now lead the party in those polls, set for Feb. 12, the first since Zia’s longtime rival, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, fled India in August 2024 at the height of a mass uprising.
On Dec. 30, Zia, Bangladesh's first female prime minister, died at the age of 80.
After living in exile in the UK for decades, Rahman returned home after his mother’s passing
Rahman, the son of Zia and slain President Ziaur Rahman, left the country for London for medical treatment with his family in 2008 – a year after he was released from jail in 2007, facing charges including corruption.
But under the current Mohammad Yunus-led interim government, he was acquitted of the charges, opening the way for his return.