Bangladesh’s Tarique Rahman: From exile to edge of power


Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman waves to supporters during the final day of election campaign rally, ahead of the national election, in Jatrabari, Dhaka, Bangladesh, February 9, 2026. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

DHAKA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Less ‌than two months after returning from nearly two decades of self‑imposed exile in London, Tarique Rahman could win one of Bangladesh's most pivotal elections and become ‌prime minister, leading the country as his parents once did.

If opinion polls hold, Thursday's election would mark a remarkable reversal of fortune for the soft‑spoken ‌60‑year‑old, who left the country in 2008 saying he needed medical treatment after his release from detention under a military‑backed caretaker administration. He had been held after a crackdown on corruption.

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