NEW DELHI, December 30. /TASS/. Khaleda Zia, former prime minister of Bangladesh and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has passed away at the age of 79.

"BNP Chairperson and ex-Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia passed away at 6:00 a.m. today, right after the morning prayer," the party said in a statement on Facebook (prohibited in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which is designated as extremist).

Khaleda Zia became the country’s first female prime minister in 1991. She was forced to resign in 1995 amid opposition protests. However, she took the helm of the government once again in 2001 and remained in the position until 2006. Khaleda Zia was arrested on corruption charges in September 2007; despite being sentenced to a prison term, she was released on bail a year later.

She was handed long prison terms on corruption charges in 2018 but was released in August 2024 following anti-government protests that resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In 2005, Forbes magazine included Khaleda Zia in its annual list of the most powerful women in the world.