Tarique Rahman poised to lead Bangladesh after 17 years in exile

Local media and the BNP reported that Thursday's election gave the Bangladesh Nationalist Party a parliamentary majority, and Tarique Rahman returned from 17 years in self-imposed exile late last year.

Tarique Rahman appears set to take a leading role in Bangladesh after an election that local media and his party say handed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party a parliamentary majority. He returned from 17 years of self-imposed exile in London in December. His return came amid a turbulent political period that included a 2024 student-led uprising and the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Key facts: - Reports say Thursday's national election gave the Bangladesh Nationalist Party a majority, and the BNP has claimed victory. - Tarique Rahman returned from London after 17 years in exile and is a prominent figure in the Zia political dynasty; his mother was former prime minister Khaleda Zia. - Rahman was targeted by criminal cases under Sheikh Hasina's government and was sentenced in 2018 in a 2004 grenade attack case; he and his party denied involvement and the convictions were later dropped after Hasina's government fell. - The period before the vote saw unrest following a 2024 student-led uprising, reports of attacks on Hindu minorities and the press, a struggling economy, and the rise of a religious conservative party. - Analysts say Rahman's approach to the barred Awami League and broader efforts toward national unity will be a key test going forward. Summary: The reported BNP majority marks a significant political shift and places Rahman in a central role after his return from exile. Undetermined at this time.