Bangladesh Mourns Khaleda Zia, Its First Woman Prime Minister, Who Dies at 80

Post by : Saif Nasser

Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and one of the country’s most powerful political figures, died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after battling a long illness. Her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) confirmed her death, saying she had been suffering from multiple health problems, including severe liver disease, diabetes, arthritis, and heart-related issues.

She had travelled to London earlier in 2025 for advanced medical treatment and stayed there for several months before returning to Bangladesh. Though she had not held office since 2006, Khaleda Zia remained a towering presence in national politics and continued to command deep loyalty among her supporters.

Khaleda Zia entered public life after a personal tragedy. She was largely devoted to family life until her husband, President Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in 1981 during a failed military coup. Three years later, she took charge of the BNP, the party founded by her husband, and pledged to carry forward his vision of lifting Bangladesh out of poverty and economic hardship.

In the late 1980s, Khaleda Zia worked alongside Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League, to oppose military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad. Their combined efforts helped restore democracy in 1990. However, their partnership soon collapsed, giving way to a fierce rivalry that shaped Bangladesh’s politics for more than three decades. The two leaders became famously known as the “battling Begums.”

In 1991, Khaleda Zia led the BNP to victory in what was widely praised as Bangladesh’s first truly free election. With that win, she became the country’s first woman prime minister. During her first term, she restored the parliamentary system of government, reduced the powers of the presidency, opened the economy to foreign investors, and made primary education free and compulsory.

She lost the 1996 election but returned to power in 2001 with a strong mandate. Her second term, however, was clouded by serious challenges, including the rise of Islamist militant groups and widespread accusations of corruption. A deadly grenade attack on a political rally in 2004 further intensified political tensions and left lasting scars on the nation’s political landscape.

Political unrest eventually led to an army-backed interim government taking control in 2006. Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina were both arrested on corruption charges and spent about a year in detention. Although they were later released, Khaleda never regained political power. Her party boycotted several elections, and she spent years either in prison or under house arrest as legal battles continued.

In 2018, Khaleda Zia was convicted in a corruption case linked to an orphanage trust, a verdict she described as politically driven. As her health declined, she was transferred from jail to house arrest in 2020. She was finally freed in August 2024 after Sheikh Hasina was removed from power following mass protests. In early 2025, the Supreme Court cleared her and her son, Tarique Rahman, in the corruption case.

Even in her final years, Khaleda Zia’s influence did not fade. The BNP remains a leading political force, and her son, now the party’s acting chairman, is widely seen as a strong contender ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. Her death comes at a sensitive moment as Bangladesh is currently governed by an interim administration led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

Khaleda Zia leaves behind a mixed and powerful legacy. To her supporters, she was a graceful yet firm leader who stood for democracy and national pride. To her critics, she was part of a political era marked by deep divisions and repeated unrest. Yet there is little doubt that she reshaped Bangladesh’s political history and opened the door for women to lead at the highest level.