Former Bangladeshi prime minister and long-time opposition leader Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80, her party announced on Tuesday, marking the end of an era in Bangladesh’s modern political history.
In a statement, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party said its chairperson and former prime minister passed away at 6am local time. Khaleda Zia had led the party since 1984 and remained one of the country’s most influential political figures for more than three decades.
Zia made history in 1991 as the first woman to lead Bangladesh as prime minister. She served three terms in office, from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006, shaping the country’s political landscape during periods of intense rivalry and transition.
Despite a prolonged decline in her health, Zia had announced plans to lead her party’s campaign in the parliamentary elections scheduled for early February 2026 and to seek a seat in parliament once again. Her death comes at a moment when many analysts had expected her party to perform strongly at the polls.
Her son, Tarique Rahman, who serves as acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, returned to Bangladesh on 25 December after 17 years of self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. He is widely expected to emerge as a leading candidate for the post of prime minister.
Khaleda Zia had been seriously ill in recent months and was admitted to intensive care at a private hospital in the capital, Dhaka, in late November after developing a lung infection. Her doctors said in early December that she required treatment abroad, recommending her transfer to the UK.
Her health had deteriorated steadily since her imprisonment in 2018 on corruption charges during the tenure of her long-time political rival, Sheikh Hasina, who governed from 2009 to 2024. Zia and Hasina dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades in a rivalry that defined the nation’s governance and electoral contests.
Khaleda Zia’s death is expected to have a profound impact on Bangladesh’s political scene, as supporters and opponents alike reflect on the legacy of a leader who shaped the country’s democracy and power struggles for more than a generation.
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