#FirstpostNews: Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, has died at the age of 80 following a prolonged illness. Zia rose to power in 1991, becoming the country’s first woman head of government after leading her party to victory in Bangladesh’s first democratic election in two decades. Doctors said on Monday that her condition was “extremely critical.” She had been placed on life support, but her age and severely weakened health meant multiple treatments could not be administered simultaneously. Despite her deteriorating condition, her party had earlier announced that Zia planned to contest the general elections expected in February—the first since the July uprising that led to the ouster of her longtime rival, Sheikh Hasina. For decades, Bangladeshi politics was shaped by the bitter rivalry between Zia and Sheikh Hasina, with the two women alternately occupying the roles of prime minister and opposition leader.

#FirstpostNews: Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, has died at the age of 80 following a prolonged illness. Zia rose to power in 1991, becoming the country’s first woman head of government after leading her party to victory in Bangladesh’s first democratic election in two decades. Doctors said on Monday that her condition was “extremely critical.” She had been placed on life support, but her age and severely weakened health meant multiple treatments could not be administered simultaneously. Despite her deteriorating condition, her party had earlier announced that Zia planned to contest the general elections expected in February—the first since the July uprising that led to the ouster of her longtime rival, Sheikh Hasina. For decades, Bangladeshi politics was shaped by the bitter rivalry between Zia and Sheikh Hasina, with the two women alternately occupying the roles of prime minister and opposition leader.