Khaleda Zia, former prime minister of Bangladesh and long-time chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness. Party officials confirmed that she passed away early in the morning while undergoing treatment in Dhaka. Zia had been suffering from multiple health complications for several years, including liver disease, heart problems, diabetes and arthritis. Her condition had deteriorated in recent weeks, and she had been receiving intensive medical care.

A dominant figure in Bangladeshi politics for more than three decades, Khaleda Zia served as prime minister three times — from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006. She was Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister and played a central role in shaping the country’s post-military democratic politics. She rose to political prominence after the assassination of her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, and later took charge of the BNP, transforming it into one of the country’s two major political forces. Her political career was marked by an intense and long-running rivalry with Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League, a rivalry that defined Bangladesh’s political landscape for decades.

While admired by supporters for her leadership and resilience, Zia’s career was also marred by controversy, including corruption cases that led to her imprisonment in later years. Her party has consistently maintained that the charges against her were politically motivated. Her death comes at a sensitive time in Bangladesh’s politics, with national elections expected in the coming year and the BNP seeking to reassert itself after years of political struggle. Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, the party’s acting chairman, expressed deep grief over her passing.

Tributes have begun pouring in from political leaders, party workers and supporters across the country, as Bangladesh mourns one of its most influential and polarising political figures.