• Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has introduced welfare programmes and diversified the country’s foreign partnerships since his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won the February 2026 elections.
• With the Awami League barred from the vote, the BNP faces limited opposition, allowing Rahman to delay constitutional reforms that would curb his executive power.
• His parliamentary majority and the population’s focus on economic concerns have allowed him to maintain a strong political position.

Why is Tarique Rahman HOT?

Answer: In his first months in office, Rahman has addressed some of the population’s key demands while consolidating his political power.

Tarique Rahman was elected Prime Minister in February 2026. Bangladesh had been governed by Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League (AL) party, for 15 years, before mass protests brought her tenure to an end in August 2024. For the following 18 months, an interim government took power and was tasked with preparing the country for the next elections, in which Rahman, chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), emerged victorious.

Public dissatisfaction with Hasina’s government stemmed from several grievances, including rising living costs, unemployment, corruption and political repression. Rahman’s election campaign therefore focused on addressing these concerns through a series of policy promises.

Foreign policy has been one of the clearest areas of change. The close relationship between Sheikh Hasina and India led many Bangladeshis to associate the rise in authoritarianism with Indian interference in domestic affairs. Seeking to reduce dependence on its neighbour, Rahman built on the interim government’s efforts to restore relations with Pakistan while signing economic and security agreements with China and Türkiye.

On the domestic front, the BNP leader introduced policies aimed at raising living standards by providing financial assistance to low-income households, supporting farmers, and improving access to healthcare and education. These measures helped alleviate short-term difficulties faced by vulnerable families, although they did not  translate into a reduction in the cost of living.

Rahman inherited a fragile economy that was further weakened by the US–Israeli war against Iran. The global surge in oil prices hit Bangladesh particularly hard, as the country relies on imports to meet 95% of its energy needs. While the government’s stabilisation plans showed signs of macroeconomic improvement, the cost of living remained high.

In parallel, Rahman consolidated his power by sidestepping the constitutional reforms proposed in the July Charter. Developed under the interim government, the Charter included limits on the Prime Minister’s tenure, stronger presidential powers and greater judicial independence. Rather than enshrining these reforms in the Constitution, Rahman opted to pursue them through ordinary parliamentary legislation.

With the BNP holding a majority in Parliament, this approach leaves Rahman politically HOT, since it gives his government greater control over which reforms are adopted, allowing it to advance economic and social policies while preserving much of the executive authority the Charter sought to constrain.

What is changing Tarique Rahman’s heat level?

Answer: Rahman has been able to consolidate power in the absence of strong opposition, both externally and within his own party.

Bangladesh has traditionally operated under a de facto two-party system in which two political forces have alternated in power since independence in 1971: the centre-left AL and the centre-right BNP. After the interim government barred the AL from contesting the elections due to its links to Hasina, the BNP secured 245 of the 350 seats in Parliament, with its most relevant opponent being the country’s largest Islamic political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, with 77 seats.

In September, Jamaat-e-Islami staged protests over the rising cost of living and shortages of gas, electricity, and fertilisers. Although the mobilisation drew crowds in multiple locations, its impact remained limited, as the protests were short-lived and Rahman was not compelled to respond publicly. With the AL barred from participation and other opposition parties struggling to challenge the BNP, Rahman faces limited political pressure.

But this could change. Following the fall of the former regime, many AL members went into exile in India. In November 2025, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity committed during the 2024 uprising. Rahman requested her extradition, and although India has shown no intention of carrying it out, Hasina has stated that she intends to surrender to the authorities in December 2026. Her potential return could alter the political landscape, given that the Awami League continues to retain support in the country.

Within his own party, Rahman’s leadership has likewise not been challenged. As the son of two of the BNP’s most prominent figures—former President and party founder Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia—his rise to the party leadership was uncontested, paving the way for him to assume the role of BNP chairperson.

What is driving Tarique Rahman?

Answer: Rahman is driven by his family’s political legacy and by a desire to establish his own leadership after years in exile.

Politics has shaped Rahman’s life from an early age. His father’s assassination while serving as President, followed by his mother’s two terms as Prime Minister, laid the foundations for his own political career. 

During his 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Rahman remained actively involved in the BNP’s leadership. After his mother was imprisoned in 2018, he became the party’s acting chairperson, overseeing its political strategy and organisational decisions remotely until his return to Bangladesh in December 2025, ahead of the February 2026 elections.

While committed to preserving his family’s legacy, Rahman also sought to establish an identity of his own. He adopted a reformist rhetoric, acknowledging past mistakes by the BNP, particularly regarding corruption, and pledged a zero-tolerance approach to the issue.

Drawing on his experience in exile, he also committed to breaking with the repression associated with previous administrations. However, his record so far has been mixed, as the interim government’s ban on the Awami League remains in place and the treatment of opposition members has prompted criticism.

What does this mean for you?

Answer: In the February elections, voters who backed the BNP were not primarily seeking structural change but rather improvements in their living conditions.

The 2024 protests against Hasina’s rule reflected public frustration with the system, characterised by a politicised judiciary and compromised law enforcement. Yet, when given the opportunity in 2026 to support the new student-led National Citizen Party that had played a prominent role in the protests, voters instead opted for the established BNP, which had itself previously faced accusations of corruption and abuse of power. 

Rahman’s electoral success illustrates how, amid economic insecurity, many Bangladeshis prioritised tangible improvements in their living conditions over longer-term institutional reforms.