Tarique Rahman has been appointed as the chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), days after the demise of his mother and party chairperson, Khaleda Zia.
The Standing Committee of the BNP approved the appointment of Rahman as the Chairman of the party in a meeting on Friday and BNP Secretary General, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, confirmed the appointment to the media after the meeting, a local daily reported.
The BNP also confirmed the development in a social media post, saying Rahman has assumed office as the chairman of the party after being unanimously appointed to the vacant post.
“Following the passing of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister, national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, the position of party Chairman became vacant. In line with the BNP constitution, a meeting of the National Standing Committee was held,” the post on X read.
Rahman, speaking at a meet-and-greet event on Saturday, said there is “no reason” for the country to return to the political conditions that existed before the toppling of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, a news portal reported.
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“We don’t want to go back to pre-August 5 days. There’s no reason for us to do that,” Tarique said.
Rahman, 60, returned to Bangladesh on December 25 after 17 years of self-exile in London. He has since emerged as a leading contender for the post of the prime minister in the upcoming polls in the country in February.
In 2002, Rahman was made BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General and became Senior Vice Chairman in 2009. In 2018, when Zia was imprisoned, he was appointed acting chairperson of the party.
Zia, the three-time Bangladesh prime minister and BNP matriarch, died in a Dhaka hospital on December 30, following a prolonged illness.
The BNP is being seen as a forerunner to capture power in the February polls, as former prime minister Hasina’s Awami League party has been barred from contesting the election.
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