Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister: Who is Sheikh Hasina Wazed?

Hasina, a 76-year-old politician, served as prime minister from June 1996 to July 2001 and from January 2009 to August 2024.

Hasina's father was the country's founding president

Hasina, who became prime minister for the 5th time after the ruling Awami League party won the 12th General Election held on January 7 and is known as Bangladesh's "iron lady", was born on September 28, 1947, in Tungipara in the southwest of the country.

Hasina's father and the country's founding President, Sheikh Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman, was one of the leaders of the "Great Liberation War" that brought independence to Bangladesh in 1971.

Sheikh Hasina Wazed (born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first president of Bangladesh. Having served for a combined total of over 20 years, she is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh. Her premiership ended in a self-imposed exile following series of violent protests in 2024.

Rahman was overthrown in a military coup on August 15, 1975, and all of his family members, except his daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were killed. Hasina and Rehana were in Germany at the time.

She was placed under house arrest and exiled several times

Hasina's childhood and youth, which were intertwined with politics, laid the foundation for her future career. Hasina, who was an important student leader at the University of Dhaka where she studied, was actively involved in university politics in the late 1960s.

After her father Rahman was overthrown in a military coup in 1975, Hasina spent 6 years in exile in India and returned to her country in 1981.

Upon her return to Bangladesh, Hasina was elected as the leader of the Awami League, which was founded by her father and became the largest party in Bangladesh; Her statements against the then government caused her to be placed under house arrest several times.

In the same year, Hasina and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia led a popular uprising against the then-military leader Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

As a result of the demonstrations, Hasina lost the elections held one year after Ershad resigned in 1990 to her opponent Zia and accused the BNP of "rigging" the elections.

Hasina was sworn in on June 23, 1996, after the Awami League won a majority in the general elections held on June 12, 1996, and assumed office as prime minister for the first time.

Hasina's party won a landslide in the 2008 elections

Hasina, who suffered a heavy defeat in the 2001 elections due to "corruption allegations" against her and her party, was subjected to several assassination attempts while the BNP was in power, and her hearing was seriously damaged in an assassination attempt in 2004.

Hasina left Bangladesh in 2002 due to security concerns but returned to her country two years later and resumed her political career where she left off.

Hasina won 230 out of 299 seats in the elections held on December 29, 2008, and became prime minister for the second time.

Hasina, who was sworn into office in January 2009, served as prime minister of the country from that date until the military announced her resignation.

Hasina, who served Bangladesh for a total of 20 years, is recorded as the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history.

Criticisms against Hasina's government

Bangladesh's cost of living and inflation have skyrocketed following the Covid-19 pandemic. The country's foreign exchange reserves have fallen rapidly, and its external debt has doubled since 2016.

Citizens who hold Hasina responsible for the poor state of the economy also accused the government of corruption.

Hasina's administration was also criticized for oppressing political opponents and the media.

There was also criticism that the government used the same harsh approach to suppress the demonstrations during the protests that broke out in the country in July.

On the other hand, Hasina's government denied these allegations.

WHY DID SHE RUN?

August 2024

Bangladesh Army Commander General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid had resigned. While the Indian press reported that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who left her residence, landed in India by helicopter, the Bangladeshi army announced that a transitional government would be established in the country.

Items removed from Sheikh Hasina's residence

As protests continue in the capital, protesters who stormed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's official residence were seen removing items from inside.

Images in the media show that protesters removed the Prime Minister's belongings such as chairs and armchairs from the official residence.

According to reports in the local press, anti-government protesters set fire to the building of the ruling Awami League Party in the capital Dhaka.

What happened?

Protests led by students began in mid-July in Bangladesh following the decision to allocate public quotas to the children of those who served in the 1971 War of Independence.

The government announced that 147 people had lost their lives in the protests that lasted for days, while press reports indicated that the death toll had exceeded 200.

The government tried to control the protests with internet outages, curfews, and public holidays, but these steps did not reduce the tension.

After the Supreme Court reduced the quota rates, the protesters announced that their demands had been met and that they were ending the demonstrations.

After the Jamaat-e-Islami Party and its student wing Chhatra Shibir, who was accused by the government of the "public quota" protests, were banned, students described this decision by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Vecid as "injustice".

In Bangladesh, students began to gather again to protest Hasina's government and demand justice for those who lost their lives in the "public quota" protests, and clashes broke out with the police.

More than 100 people were killed in the violence that last occurred during the anti-government protests on August 4 and 5.

WHO IS SHEIKH HASINA?

Her political life began in the 1960s as a student activist at Eden College. While at this college, she served as the vice president of the student union. While at Dhaka University, Hasina was a member of the student wing of the Awami League. During the liberation war in 1971, she was placed under house arrest with her family. After her country gained independence, her political life continued at a low level.

Her life changed suddenly in 1975. While she and her sister were traveling in West Germany, her father, mother, and three of her siblings were killed in a coup. After this incident, she sought asylum in the United Kingdom and then went into exile in India.

While in exile, she was elected president of the Awami League. After returning to her country, Zia-ur-Rahman was overthrown in a coup in May 1981. The following year, General Hussain Mohammad Ershad seized all power in a bloodless coup and declared Martial Law. In 1983, Sheikh Hasina allied with 15 parties to continue her plan to overthrow the government. She lived under house arrest in 1984 and 1985.