Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman was on Friday appointed as the party’s chairman, days after the death of his mother and long-time party chief Khaleda Zia following a prolonged illness.
The decision was approved at a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir confirmed Rahman’s appointment to the media after the meeting, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
Rahman had been serving as the acting chairperson of the party since 2018, a role he assumed after Khaleda Zia was jailed. The appointment marks a formal shift in the leadership of one of Bangladesh’s main political parties.
In 2002, he was appointed the BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General and later rose to become Senior Vice Chairman in 2009.
Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25 after 17 years of self-exile in London.
The three-time Bangladesh prime minister and BNP stalwart died on December 30 after a prolonged illness. In accordance with the party constitution, a meeting of the National Standing Committee was convened to fill the vacancy.
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With this appointment, Rahman has officially taken over the responsibilities of the party’s top leadership position. He has emerged as a leading contender for prime ministership in the February polls.
