Bangladesh’s long-serving prime minister and Awami League leader
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.
India has been pushing Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh under a deportation drive that has drawn criticism from rights groups. Bangladesh and India have held border talks to manage crossings and disputes over due process. Tensions rise as both sides pledge coordinated patrols and stronger information sharing.
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.
Bangladesh's former prime minister Hasina and ally figures face extradition pressures as her return to the country becomes a focal point. Shakib Al Hasan remains abroad amid investigations and tensions, while attacks on his ancestral home complicate diplomacy and public safety concerns.
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.
The trial has advanced in Bangladesh, where journalists Mozammel Babu, Farzana Rupa, and Shyamal Dutta remain jailed after being accused of inciting suppression during a student uprising. Hasina has fled to India and is expected to return; India has refused extradition. The next court date is October 25, 2026.