Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina Wazed[a] (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.[3][4] 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. She was the world's longest-serving female head of government.[5] Her regime ended in self-imposed exile following a series of violent protests in 2024.[b]

As the autocratic regime of Hussain Muhammad Ershad came to an end, Hasina, then leader of the Awami League (AL), lost the 1991 election to Khaleda Zia, with whom she had collaborated against Ershad.[15][16] As leader of the opposition, Hasina accused Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of electoral dishonesty and boycotted Parliament, which was followed by violent demonstrations and political turmoil.[17] Zia resigned in favour of a caretaker government, followed by Hasina becoming prime minister after the June 1996 election. While the country began to experience economic growth and a reduction in poverty, it remained in political turmoil during her first term, which ended in July 2001, with Hasina being succeeded by Zia following her victory. Hasin