Tarique Rahman is set to become the Prime Minister of Bangladesh after his party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a majority in the 13th general elections. The elections were conducted for the first time on February 12 after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. The BNP and its allies have secured 212 seats, whereas Jamaat-e-Ismali and its allies managed to get 77 seats. Following the ouster of Hasina, Bangladesh was governed by an interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. BNP chairman Tarique Rahman has won from Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6 seats.
Who is Tarique Rahman?
Tarique Rahman, 60, is the figurehead of the influential Zia family, who leads BNP. Both of his parents previously served as leaders of Bangladesh. His late mother, Khaleda Zia served as the first woman PM of the country. Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25 from his self-imposed UK exile of 17 years. Rahman became active for the first time within BNP in 2001. His father, Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler turned president, had been killed in a military coup in 1981. He founded BNP in 1978. When Rahman was promoted to a senior position within the party in 2002, the opposition described his rise as brazen nepotism. He was arrested in 2007 during a military-backed caretaker government’s rule. After spending 18 months in jail, he left for London. He returned to his home country after 17 years in 2025 and contested for elections, where he turned victorious.
