Former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness. She passed away around 6am while receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where doctors had earlier described her condition as “extremely critical.”

Khaleda Zia became Bangladesh’s first female head of government in 1991, leading the BNP to victory in the country’s first democratic election in 20 years. She entered politics after the assassination of her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, in 1981, and went on to become one of the most influential figures in a male-dominated political landscape.

Her first term is credited with restoring parliamentary democracy through a constitutional amendment and advancing women’s education and social development. Later terms were more controversial, with disputed elections and allegations of corruption, which she consistently denied.

For decades, Bangladeshi politics was shaped by her rivalry with Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina. In recent years, despite failing health and imprisonment, Zia remained a key symbol of opposition politics.

Zia was widely known for her firm stance on democratic principles, particularly her insistence on free and fair elections. From opposing military-backed polls in the 1980s to boycotting elections held without a neutral caretaker system, she portrayed her political struggle as a fight to protect democracy.

The BNP confirmed her death in a social media post, as crowds gathered outside the hospital following the announcement. Her death marks the end of a defining era in Bangladesh’s political history.

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