Bangladesh Has A Long Unstable Political Background With Assassinations, Coups And Counter-Coups

Bangladesh Ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country in a helicopter following the pressure from demonstrators and the army, is not the first such event in the South Asian nation. Half a century ago, Since the  independence many of the country’s leaders have been forced to flee or have been assassinated.

Assassination, Coups and Counter-Coups

Bangladesh emerged from East Pakistan as a new nation in 1971 after a brutal war involving India.

The freedom fighter Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the country’s first prime minister, before introducing a one-party system and taking office as president in January 1975. He was assassinated within a year by a group of soldiers along with his wife and three sons on August 15. Then, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, with the support of the army took power. Later  Ahmad was also overthrown in a coup by army chief Khaled Mosharraf on November 3, who was then assassinated by rival mutineers.

After a series of further coups and counter-coups, General Ziaur Rahman took power on November 7. Eventually, Rahman was also assassinated on May 30, 1881, he was in power for less than six months. 

Ershad ousted Sattar in a bloodless coup 

Rahman’s  vice-president Abdus Sattar took over as interim president with the backing of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Within a year Ershad ousted Sattar in a bloodless coup on March 24, 1982. After gaining control he immediately imposed martial law and installed Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as president.

On December 11, 1983, Ershad declared himself head of state while Chowdhury later led a party loyal to Ershad. Then, Ershad resigned as president on December 6, 1990 following massive protests. He was later jailed December 12 on corruption charges.

Khaleda Zia became the first woman prime minister

The first free elections were held in Bangladesh in early 1991, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) winning. Khaleda Zia, General Ziaur Rahman’s widow, became Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister.

She was succeeded by her rival Sheikh Hasina, 1996 after the Awami League won the election. 

The BNP returned to power in 2001, with Zia once again becoming prime minister and serving till October 2006.

Hasina became prime minister again in 2008

In 2007,President Iajuddin Ahmed declared a state of emergency with the army support due to anti-government demonstrations.

A military-led transitional government then launched an anti-corruption purge, imprisoning both Hasina and Zia on corruption charges, then released them in 2008.

After her party won the election in December 2008, Hasina became prime minister again. 

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