Bangladesh’s main opposition party, led by Tarique Rahman
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected the 81st president of the UN General Assembly, the Asia-Pacific region’s one-year term, starting September 8. He defeated Cyprus’s Andreas Kakouris in a secret ballot, amid a global multilateral landscape under scrutiny as Secretary‑General Guterres’s successor is chosen.
The president has cited autonomic neuropathy and health concerns, prompting his resignation. Parliament will appoint a caretaker president within 90 days, while Hasina’s position tightens as she returns to Bangladesh.
Ousted Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina has said she will return to Bangladesh, insisting she must answer to her people. Speaking via videolink from New Delhi on the second anniversary of the 2024 uprising, she has pledged to confront the charges against her while Bangladesh seeks extradition and India says the request is under review. A memorial museum marks the uprising as Dhaka and New Delhi navigate a fragile reengagement.
The BNP-backed Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has won the presidential election with 255 votes to 88 for Oli Ahmed in a 349-seat parliament. The vote follows the resignation of President Shahabuddin and marks a new phase in Bangladesh’s political landscape as Tarique Rahman moves to lead a two-thirds majority government. Hasina remains in exile in India, with a return planned for December.