Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has officially assumed office as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh following a victory in the parliamentary elections. The inauguration ceremony took place in Dhaka.
Rahman becomes the first male prime minister of Bangladesh in 36 years. Since 1991, the office had been held by his mother, Khaleda Zia, and her political rival, Sheikh Hasina. Hasina fled the country in August 2024 following mass protests.
The 60-year-old prime minister had lived in London since 2008. He left Bangladesh for security reasons following the electoral victory of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party. During her tenure, Rahman was convicted on various charges, including corruption, bribery, money laundering, illegal acquisition of wealth, and involvement in a grenade attack. Rahman has maintained that he was tortured while previously held in custody on corruption charges.
The BNP claims that all allegations against their leader were politically motivated. In 2024, the courts acquitted Rahman of these charges. He returned to Bangladesh on December 25, 2025, and was named Chairman of the Nationalist Party on January 9, 2026.
Upon arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Rahman performed a symbolic gesture by removing his shoes and stepping onto the grass barefoot. He was met by a massive wave of supporters who gave the new leader a warm reception. Within weeks, Rahman secured the trust of a large portion of the electorate with promises of enhanced security, fair wealth distribution, and a rigorous crackdown on corruption.
Regarding foreign policy, the BNP has announced an independent "Bangladesh First" approach, emphasizing active engagement with neighboring countries to achieve collective regional progress.
Parliamentary Elections
The 13th parliamentary elections were held on February 12, eighteen months after Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League were ousted during the anti-government protests of August 2024. During the interim period, the country was managed by a transitional government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The Election Commission of Bangladesh announced that the BNP and its allies secured 212 out of 299 seats in parliament. The primary opposition will be the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (banned in Russia), which, along with its coalition partners, holds 77 seats.
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Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP/TASS
Based on materials from TASS