With the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) registering an overwhelming victory in the 13th national elections, the first since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, party chairman Tarique Rahman is almost certain to become the next Prime Minister of the country.
Interestingly, Tarique Rahman just returned to his country after 17 years in exile. He contested from two constituencies - Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6, both of which he won.
The 60-year-old is the eldest son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who died last December after a prolonged illness, and former President Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP. Ziaur Rahman was assassinated during a military coup in 1981, following which Khaleda Zia entered politics. She first became the head of state in 1991.
Rahman has served as the party's acting chairman since his mother's imprisonment in 2018. However, he moved to London in 2008 for medical treatment and remained there while facing multiple criminal cases at home. He was convicted in absentia on charges that included a case linked to an alleged plot to assassinate Sheikh Hasina.
Those rulings were overturned after Hasina was removed from power in 2024, clearing the legal barriers to his return.
The BNP has instructed not to hold victory processions immediately after the election results are announced. The party has said that Friday prayers and special prayers will be organised in mosques across the country. In addition, there will be prayer arrangements in other religious places of worship.
Historically, the election is significant in the context of history. The last male prime minister was Kazi Zafar Ahmed in 1988. Since 1990, the government has been led by two women, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.
After almost three and a half decades, the possibility of forming a male-led government has arisen again.
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Rahman’s reign will be a major milestone in Bangladesh as he has promised a corruption-free government. Besides a “clean politics”, Rahman will now have to form an inclusive and centrist government with a focus on a rights-based system.
As per reports, Tarique Rahman's control within the party is strong. Party sources say he has directly led everything from candidate selection to alliance strategy. Although part of hereditary politics, in Tarique Rahman's words, his main goal is to re-establish democracy and build an accountable state system. “The country will progress only if democracy is practiced, we want to reconstruct the country,” he said in an earlier interview.