Tarique Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman, is set to lead the country after a landslide victory in one of Bangladesh's most pivotal elections. Rahman, who marked the triumph in less than two months after returning from nearly two decades of self-imposed exile in London. He will lead the country as his parents once did. Notably, Bangladesh had female prime ministers from the past three decades. The return of Rahman means he will be the male PM after such a long time.
The Election Commission (EC) is yet to make a formal announcement. According to multiple media reports, EC is expected to declare BNP the winner in the general elections with tallies in predawn hours on Friday, suggesting it got majority seats in parliament.
Different media tallies suggested BNP received more than 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament on Thursday's daylong voting, fair enough to form the next government, ending the 18-month rule of Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
Who is Tarique Rahman?
1. Born on November 20, 1965, in Dhaka (then East Pakistan), he is the eldest son of Ziaur Rahman, former President, BNP founder, and Liberation War hero who was assassinated in 1981, and Khaleda Zia, former three-time Prime Minister and longtime BNP Chairperson.
2. Rahman studied international relations at the University of Dhaka but did not complete his degree.
3. Later, he entered the business in textiles and agro-products before becoming actively involved in politics in the 1990s.
4. Left Bangladesh in 2008 after detention and corruption charges under a military-backed caretaker government between 2007-2008.
5. He lived in self-imposed exile in London for nearly 17-18 years, facing multiple convictions in absentia, including a life sentence in a 2004 grenade attack case, which he denied as politically motivated.
6. Rahman, now 60, returned to Dhaka on December 25 last year after charges against him were dropped or acquitted post the former PM Sheikh Hasina.
7. He contested and won from two constituencies: Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6.
8. His pledges include recalibrating foreign ties for balanced investment, less reliance on any single power, expanding aid for the poor, and diversifying beyond garments such as toys, leather.
9. He pledged to impose a two-term and 10-year PM limit, and to prioritise peace, reconciliation, democracy, and institution-building over revenge.
Tarique Rahman: A soft-spoken politician
Rahman, a soft-spoken man, has softened his image, rejecting past "brash" perceptions from the 2001–2006 era, denying parallel power-running accusations, and emphasising stability.
During the latest election campaign, he tried to change his image, and quietly, he managed it.
(With inputs from agencies)