Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia gestures toward her supporters after being arrested in Dhaka on September 3, 2007. Photo by Pavel Rahman/AP
As highlighted by CNN
Dhaka, Bangladesh – her political party announced on Tuesday that former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia had died. She was 80 years old.
Zia was a key figure in the country’s political life and clearly competed with Sheikh Hasina, who for an entire generation shaped the course of Bangladesh. According to the party, in January 2025 the Supreme Court acquitted Zia in the latest corruption case, paving the way for her to participate in the February elections.
She returned to Bangladesh in May after medical treatment in the United Kingdom.
At the beginning of January, the caretaker government allowed her to travel abroad after Sheikh Hasina’s government rejected previous requests at least 18 times.
Khaleda Zia’s Legacy in Bangladeshi Politics
Zia was married to President Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated during the 1981 coup. After that she joined the broad movement against the military dictator, which ultimately led to his resignation and departure from power in 1990.
She won her first term in 1991 and again led the government in 2001. Her main opponent in that election cycle and several subsequent ones was Hasina.
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