Muere Jaleda Zia, the first woman to lead the government of Bangladesh for 80 years | International

Former Bangladesh prime minister and leader of the Nationalist Party (BNP), Jaleda Zia, died this year after 80 years, after announcing her own formation in a Facebook statement in which she asked the Bangladeshi people to “receive for their spirit.” Historic leader of the BNP since 1981, in 1991 she became the first woman to head the country’s government.

Although the BNP did not need to determine the cause of her death, the ex-proxy was admitted at the end of November due to infections in her heart and lungs, conditions which led to a delicate state of health, as noted by the Bangladeshi newspaper. The star of the day. According to his doctors, he suffered from advanced cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes and heart and lung problems. Earlier this year, he received medical treatment in the United Kingdom, where he stayed for four months before returning to his country.

After coming to power in 1991, he developed a strong rivalry with Sheij Hasina, where he alternated in power for years. Although he has been out of government since 2006 and has spent several years in prison or under house arrest due to corruption cases, his wife, Tarique Rahman, current leader of the BNP, is the favorite for the legislative elections next February, although she recently returned to the country after years of voluntary exile.

Known popularly by her nickname, Jaleda was described as shy and devoted to her children until her husband, Ziaur Rahman, a soldier who became the country’s president, was assassinated in a military coup in 1981. Three years later, Zia became the leader of the BNP founded by her husband and promised to free Bangladeshis from poverty and backwardness.

With his rival Hasina, father of one of the country’s founding fathers and leader of the Awami Party, he led a popular uprising for democracy that overthrew the military regime of Hossain Mohammad Ershad in 1990. But his collaboration long turned into rivalry, with opposing styles – calmer than Zia, more vehement on his part. Hasina – both women have dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades.

In 1991, in what was considered the country’s first free elections, Zia was pleased with the surprise victory over Hasina, securing the support of the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami. Thus, she became the first woman before the government of Bangladesh and the second, behind Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, to lead a Muslim country.

He replaced the previous presidential regime with a parliamentary system and increased restrictions on foreign investment, in addition to establishing compulsory and free education. He lost power in 1996 to Hasina, but regained victory five years later, although his second term was overshadowed by the rise of Islamists and accusations of corruption which, years later, landed him in prison.

In 2006, the government lost a new government when an interim military government took power amid great instability and street violence. The new government imprisoned its rivals accusing them of corruption and abuse of power, but they were released before the 2008 elections.

Although the BNP never returned to power and did not participate in the 2014 and 2024 elections, the rivalry between Zia and Hasina continued to mark the country’s politics. Tensions between their two parties have triggered tensions, unrest and deaths, weighing on Bangladesh’s economic development.

In 2018, Zia, her son and other aides were convicted of stealing some $250,000 in foreign donations from a farmers’ foundation set up when she was prime minister, although she always said these were fabricated positions to keep her and her family out of politics. She was imprisoned and in 2020 placed under house arrest for health reasons until 2024. In 2025, the country’s Supreme Court acquitted them both.