DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) 鈥� spent 17 years in self-imposed exile. Now, he is poised to become the prime minister of Bangladesh 鈥� and follow in the footsteps of his mother.
Thursday鈥檚 national election seemed to hand a majority, according to local media reports, marking a significant political shift in the South Asian nation of more than 170 million people. The BNP has also claimed victory.
For Rahman, the turnaround is dramatic.
The 60-year-old in December to a country in turmoil. Within days, his mother, former Prime Minister , died from long illness. In the election, he faced a rising religious conservative party that had gained momentum after a 2024 student-led uprising toppled Zia’s longtime rival, former Prime Minister
And yet his biggest challenge may still lie ahead.
The path from the 2024 uprising to Thursday鈥檚 has been marked by turmoil. Bangladesh grappled with unrest after a student leader鈥檚 death, , the fraying of the rule of law, attacks on and , as well as a struggling economy.
鈥淩ahman has said all the right things, pledging to eliminate corruption and bring the country together. That all sounds well and good. But the BNP has a poor track record from when it was last in power 鈥� there was repression and corruption,鈥� said Michael Kugelman, a Senior Fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council.
Son of a political dynasty
Rahman is a key figure in the Zia political dynasty.
His mother served two five-year terms as prime minister, the last time from 2001 to 2006. His father, Ziaur Rahman, rose from the army to become Bangladesh鈥檚 sixth president before his assassination in 1981.
He is married to Zubaida Rahman, a physician and daughter of a former Bangladesh Navy chief.
His BNP, one of the country鈥檚 longstanding political forces, alongside Hasina’s now-banned Awami League party, has for decades dominated Bangladesh鈥檚 political landscape. In recent years, the BNP boycotted several elections, including the 2024 vote, citing widespread fraud.
Rahman has a controversial past
Rahman鈥檚 political career has been controversial.
Targeted by multiple criminal cases under Hasina鈥檚 government, he spent 17 years in self-imposed exile in London. In 2018, he was sentenced to life in prison in connection with a 2004 grenade attack on Hasina that killed at least 24 people. Hasina narrowly survived the attack. Rahman denied he was involved in the attack and denounced the verdict, along with his party, terming it politically motivated.
Rahman left Bangladesh in 2008, officially for medical treatment, after enduring torture while in custody during the military-backed administration that governed from 2006 to 2008, following Zia’s failure to peacefully hold a new election and hand over power.
Though he never held office in his mother鈥檚 governments, Rahman wielded significant influence within the BNP, serving as acting chairman, senior vice chairman, and senior joint secretary.
A leaked set of U.S. diplomatic cables described him as 鈥減henomenally corrupt.鈥�
Rahman went through an image makeover
After the collapse of Hasina鈥檚 government, the charges and convictions against Rahman were dropped, clearing the way for his return from exile.
In the run-up to the election, he sought to reshape his image, promising job creation, financial aid for poor families, greater freedom of speech, stronger law enforcement, and an end to corruption. His campaign cast him as a defender of democracy in a country long shaped by entrenched parties, military interventions and allegations of vote rigging.
After Hasina’s ouster, the country’s interim leader held a meeting with Rahman in London, an event that apparently led to his return to the country.
However, his rise is expected to rankle many in Bangladesh, particularly those who took part in the uprising and wanted their country free of dynastic politics and the old political guard they blame for the country鈥檚 problems.
Feud with Hasina will be keenly watched
The Atlantic Council’s Kugelman said a key test for Rahman will be how he treats Hasina鈥檚 Awami League party, which has been accused of cracking down on the BNP in the past, including arrests of its senior leaders and party workers. Rahman鈥檚 mother was arrested and imprisoned during Hasina鈥檚 government.
Hasina has been since August 2024, and a special tribunal in Dhaka over crimes against humanity related to her crackdown that killed protesters during the uprising that ousted her. She denies all charges. Meanwhile, her party was barred from participating in the election, and thousands of its members remain in hiding due to fears of persecution.
鈥淚f Rahman leans on retribution, it shows the old politics haven鈥檛 disappeared,鈥� said Kugelman. 鈥淏ut a focus on unity would be an encouraging sign.鈥�
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