End Of Bangladesh Two Women Political Era

rediff.com · Feb 19, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Tarique Rahman is Bangladesh's first male prime minister in more than three decades, ending an era of female leadership that began in 1991. IMAGE: Tarique Rahman was sworn in as Bangladesh's prime minister following the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's landslide victory in the national elections. Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters Key Points Bangladesh's political journey is shaped by war, coups, military rule and dynastic politics. Leadership history reflects exile governments, assassinations, caretaker regimes and democratic restoration. Sheikh Hasina oversaw rapid economic growth driven by garments, remittances and infrastructure. Bangladesh's political history is only five-and-a-half decades old, but for almost 40 years it has seen its political narratives dominated by towering women figures -- Sheikh Hasina Wajed and Khaleda Zia. These two women through their alternating rule shaped the nation's trajectory. Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's much maligned father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, now lives in exile having been ousted in the monsoon uprising of 2024. She has been given political refuge in India; she has been convicted and sentenced to death by a hurriedly formed tribunal. Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party has re-emerged after her death and under the leadership of her son Tarique Rahman, who returned home after 17 years in exile in Britain. Tarique Rahman becoming prime minister is viewed as yet another dynastic rule, though he pledged to restore democratic norms, tackle corruption and rebuild democratic institutions. Thursday's elections pitted dynastic roots against a broader coalition which is a blend of religion, a bit of youth politics and reformist rhetoric creating a new political spectrum. Tarique Rahman was barely six years old when Bangladesh emerged as a nation. The country has witnessed wartime administration, military-backed governments, two dominant political dynasties and two female leaders. Now Rahman has returned from exile as a generational pivot. Bangladesh's prime ministers in the past, apart from governing, also shaped the political grammar; each prime minister was tried and tested and weighed on both patriotic and political lines by the people. Tajuddin Ahmad led the provisional government Tajuddin Ahmad was was sworn in prime minister on April 17, 1971 during the liberation war against Pakistan. Bangladesh had not yet become a nation. He was the prime minister of a government that operated from exile and he mainly coordinated the resistance and diplomatic outreach. Tajuddin Ahmad was the real actor in the absence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was in jail in Pakistan. Tajuddin Ahmad transformed an armed struggle into an organised political system. After Mujib's return Tajuddin Ahmad served as a minister in Mujib's cabinet holding the finance and planning portfolios from 1972 to 1974. He was the key person to draft Bangladesh's constitution. Following Mujib's assassination in a coup d'etat on August 15, 1975,, Tajuddin was arrested and assassinated on November 3, 1975 in Dhaka jail. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, prime minister from 1972 to 1975 IMAGE: Billboard of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Photograph: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first prime minister of independent Bangladesh, carried immense moral authority as the leader of the liberation struggle. His government introduced the new constitution in 1972 and it was Mujib who ensured that Bangladesh should be a secular country because of the large-scale participation of Hindus in the 1971 freedom struggle. Following Mujib's assassination the prime minister's office changed hands frequently with the military playing its role backstage. The prime ministership after Mujib was like a musical chair with Muhammad Mansur Ali, Shah Azizur Rahman, Ataur Rahman Khan, Mizanur Rahman Choudhry, Moudud Ahmad and Kazi Zafar Ahmad holding the premiership at different points during the most turbulent era in post Mujib Bangladesh. The rise of the two ladies IMAGE: Khaleda Zia speaks at a rally in Dhaka, March 12, 2012. Photograph: Andrew Biraj/File Photo/Reuters General Hussain Mohammed Ershad seized power in a bloodless coup against President Abdul Sattar on March 24, 1982, imposing martial law and suspending the constitution. He declared himself president in 1983n. By 1990 a mass uprising led by Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina forced Ershad out of office, clearing the path for the restoration of parliamentary democracy. The years between 1991 and 2006 saw the emergence of two woman political era. The 1991 election saw the emergence of Khaleda Zia, the wife of the slain President Zia-ur Rahman. She is credited for bringing political legitimacy to her office and worked to stabilise the Bangladesh economy. Sheikh Hasina backed by popular sympathy for the slain Mujibur Rahman challenged Khaleda Zia and the credibility of the elections. Power alternated between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina in 1996 and 2001. The rivalry between the two women defined Bangladesh's political culture for decades. IMAGE: Sheikh Hasina, who was elected Bangladesh's prime minister for another term on January 7, 2024, meets with foreign observers and journalists at her residence in Dhaka, January 8, 2024. Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters Under Sheikh Hasina's term in office -- from 2009 until August 2024 -- Bangladesh became one of Southeast Asia's fastest growing economies driven by the garment industry and remittance flow coupled with infrastructure investments. During her reign the war crimes trials linked to the 1971 liberation war saw a number of persons hanged. As Hasina consolidated power, her administration also earned notoriety of being a corrupt government. She was targeted by Khaleda Zia who was sent to jail by Hasina for corruption; Hasina was blamed for rigging the 2014 and 2018 elections. Widespread youth protests forced her to resign in August 2024 and she fled to India, which gave her shelter. The post Hasina era IMAGE: Dr Muhammad Yunus, outgoing chief advisor to the interim government, arrives for the new prime minister's swearing in ceremony, with his daughter Deena Afroz, February 17, 2026. Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters In the aftermath of Hasina's exit, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was appointed chief adviser of the interim government. Tarique Rahman, who took over the reins of the BNP following his mother Khaleda Zia's death, led the BNP to a two thirds majority in the February 12, 2026 parliamentary elections, to be appointed the first male prime minister in more than three decades, ending an era of female leadership that began in 1991. Bangladesh's history bends through its prime ministers. Rahman will have to reshape the destiny of a nation that has struggled to see its own sovereign power and then witnessed eras of stability, democracy and development. The BNP's previous tenure in office, between 2001 and 2006, was marked by controversy and allegations of corruption. The BNP today presents a somewhat different profile, with a mix of experienced leadership and a younger bunch of leaders that seeks to recalibrate its image. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff