Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina
শেখ হাসিনা
Hasina in 2023
10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
In office 6 January 2009 – 5 August 2024[1]
President	Iajuddin Ahmed Zillur Rahman Mohammad Abdul Hamid Mohammed Shahabuddin
Preceded by	Fakhruddin Ahmed (as Chief Adviser)
Succeeded by	Muhammad Yunus (as Chief Adviser)
In office 23 June 1996 – 15 July 2001
President	Abdur Rahman Biswas Shahabuddin Ahmed
Preceded by	Muhammad Habibur Rahman (as Chief Adviser)
Succeeded by	Latifur Rahman (as Chief Adviser)
8th Leader of the House
In office 6 January 2009 – 5 August 2024
Preceded by	Khaleda Zia
Succeeded by	TBA
In office 23 June 1996 – 15 July 2001
Preceded by	Khaleda Zia
Succeeded by	Khaleda Zia
8th President of Awami League
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 February 1981
General Secretary	Abdur Razzaq Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury Zillur Rahman Abdul Jalil Sayed Ashraful Islam Obaidul Quader
Preceded by	Abdul Malek Ukil
Member of Parliament
In office 12 June 1996 – 6 August 2024[2]
Preceded by	Mujibur Rahman Howlader
Succeeded by	TBA
Constituency	Gopalganj-3
In office 27 February 1991 – 15 February 1996
Preceded by	Kazi Firoz Rashid
Succeeded by	Mujibur Rahman Howlader
Constituency	Gopalganj-3
2nd Leader of the Opposition
In office 10 October 2001 – 29 October 2006
Prime Minister	Khaleda Zia
Preceded by	Khaleda Zia
Succeeded by	Khaleda Zia
In office 20 March 1991 – 30 March 1996
Prime Minister	Khaleda Zia
Preceded by	Abdur Rab
Succeeded by	Khaleda Zia
In office 7 May 1986 – 3 March 1988
President	Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Preceded by	Asaduzzaman Khan
Succeeded by	Abdur Rab
Personal details
Born	Hasina Sheikh[3] (1947-09-28) 28 September 1947 (age 77) Tungipara, East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan
Political party	Awami League
Other political affiliations	Grand Alliance (since 2008)
Spouse	M. A. Wazed Miah ​ ​ (m. 1968; died 2009)​
Children	Sajeeb Saima
Parents	Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (father) Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib (mother)
Relatives	Sheikh–Wazed family
Education	Eden Mohila College University of Dhaka
Awards	Full list
Signature

This article is part of a series about Sheikh Hasina
Early life and education Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman First Premiership (1996–2001) Sharing the water of the Ganges Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord Bangladesh Telecommunication Act, 1996 Repeal of the Indemnity Act Ashrayan-1 D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation BIMSTEC 2001 Bangladesh–India border clashes Opposition Leader (2001–2009) 2004 Dhaka grenade attack 2006–2008 Bangladeshi political crisis Logi Boitha Movement Second Premiership (2009–2024) Vision 2021 Enforced disappearances in Bangladesh (Aynaghar) Bangladesh Rifles revolt Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009 2012 Rakhine State riots International Crimes Tribunal 2013 Shahbag protests 2013 Bangladesh violence Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013 Padma Bridge graft scandal Young Bangla Attacks by Islamic extremists in Bangladesh July 2016 Dhaka attack Bangladesh Bank robbery 2015 Bangladeshi political crisis Indo-Bangla land boundary agreement, 2015 COVID-19 pandemic Ashrayan-2 State visit to China Student–People's uprising Resignation Parties and Alliances Awami League Grand Alliance Elections 1986 1988 1991 February 1996 June 1996 2001 2008 2014 2018 2024 Ministries First ministry Second ministry Third ministry Fourth ministry Fifth ministry National Projects Bangabandhu Bridge Forces Goal 2030 Digital Bangladesh Padma Bridge Dhaka–Jessore line Rampal Power Station Ganges Barrage Project Port of Payra Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Purbachal New Town Bangabandhu-1 MRT Line 6 Matarbari Port Others State visits Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video
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Sheikh Hasina^[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.^[b] She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh. She served in the position of prime minister for over 20 years, making her the longest-serving prime minister in history of Bangladesh.^[7] Thus, she became the world's longest-serving female head of government.^[8] Her authoritarian regime ended in self-imposed exile following a series of violent protests in 2024.^[c]

As the autocratic regime of Hussain Muhammad Ershad came to an end, Hasina, then leader of the Bangladesh Awami League, lost the 1991 election to Khaleda Zia, with whom she had collaborated against Ershad.^[20][21] 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.^[22] 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. Hasina was the first Bangladeshi prime minister to serve a full five-year term since independence in 1971.

During the 2006–2008 political crisis, Hasina was detained on extortion charges. After her release from jail, she won the 2008 election. In 2014, she was re-elected for a third term in an election that was boycotted by the BNP and criticised by international observers. In 2017, after nearly a million Rohingya entered the country, fleeing genocide in Myanmar, Hasina received credit and praise for giving them refuge and assistance. She won a fourth and fifth term after the 2018 and 2024 elections, which was marred by violence and widely criticised as being fraudulent.^[23]

Her second premiership (2009–2024) was marked by economic mismanagement and rampant corruption, leading to rising foreign debt, increasing inflation, youth unemployment and banking irregularities. An estimated US$150 billion or Tk 17.6 lakh crore was syphoned out of Bangladesh by illegal means during this period.^[24] In 2022, anti-government protests broke out demanding the resignation of Hasina. In June 2024, fresh student protests erupted throughout the country, demanding the reform of quotas in government jobs. The protests were met with brutal crackdown by law-enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces, resulting in the massacre of students. By August, the protests intensified into a mass uprising against the government, which eventually culminated in Hasina resigning and fleeing to India.^[25]

It is widely considered that Bangladesh experienced democratic backsliding under her premiership. Human Rights Watch documented widespread enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings under her government.^[26] Numerous politicians and journalists were systematically and judicially punished for challenging her views.^[27][28] In 2021, Reporters Without Borders gave a negative assessment of Hasina's media policy for curbing press freedom in Bangladesh since 2014.^[29] Hasina has been criticised as being too close to India, often at the cost of Bangladesh's sovereignty.^[30][31] She is seen as a manifestation of India's interference in Bangladeshi politics, which the critics described as the main source of Hasina's power.^[32][33][34]

Hasina was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018,^[35] and was listed as being one of the 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes in 2015,^[36] 2018, and 2022.^[37][38][35]

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