Politics Opposition hopeful back in Bangladesh ahead of election
A good two months before the planned parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, the opposition's hopeful has returned to his home country after 17 years in exile. Tarique Rahman is the provisional leader of the country's largest opposition party and is considered a promising candidate for the office of prime minister.
25.12.2025, 16:07
SDA
His return comes at a time of great political uncertainty in the country. Last summer, the government under the increasingly authoritarian former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fell following mass protests. An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was installed with the backing of the military.
The 60-year-old Rahman is the eldest son of the ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The former heads of government Hasina and Zia have been rivals for many years.
Euphoric reception
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Rahman and his party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), gave him a euphoric reception, as Bangladeshi broadcasters reported. Large crowds lined the route from Dhaka International Airport to a stage set up for him on the outskirts of the capital to welcome him.
Rahman had been living in exile in London since 2008. He was sentenced to life imprisonment under Hasina's rule for alleged involvement in a murder plot against the former head of government and other politicians in 2004. After Hasina's fall from power, the sentences against him were overturned - clearing the way back home. The election is scheduled for February 12.
