Less than two months after returning from 17 years of self-imposed exile in London, Tarique Rahman has won one of Bangladesh’s most pivotal elections and is set to become prime minister, leading the country as his parents once did.A coalition led by his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a decisive two-thirds majority in the parliamentary election, according to the results published in the official gazette of the Bangladesh Election Commission.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listOn Saturday, Rahman addressed the country during a press conference, calling for unity and dedicating his sweeping win to those who “sacrificed for democracy”.“I firmly believe that national unity is a collective strength, while division is a weakness.”The result is expected to bring stability after months of turmoil following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising in 2024, during which security forces killed hundreds on her orders. She has since been sentenced to death in absentia.Hasina, now in exile in New Delhi, and Rahman’s mother, Khaleda Zia, long dominated Bangladeshi politics, while Rahman’s father was a leading Bangladesh independence figure who ruled the country from 1977 to 1981 before he was assassinated.Thursday’s election marked a remarkable reversal of fortune for Rahman, who left the country in 2008, saying he needed medical treatment after his arrest during a military-backed caretaker administration’s crackdown on alleged corruption. Rahman waves as casting his vote on the election day in Dhaka [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP]The soft-spoken 60-year-old BNP leader returned home to a hero’s wel …
