PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh is the longest-serving female head of state in history

Time said in a cover story on the longest-serving female head of state in history that Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is a political phenomenon at 76 years old. Over the past ten years, she has led her country of 170 million people from a rural jute producer to the fastest-growing economy in the Asia-Pacific region.

After serving a previous term from 1996 to 2001, she has been in power since 2009 and is recognized by Time for taming both rising Islamists and a military that was once overbearing.

With more electoral victories under her belt than either Indira Gandhi or the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Hasina is keen to continue her winning streak in January.

In a September interview with Time, she said, “I am confident that my people are with me.” “They’re my primary asset.”

Under Hasina’s Awami League party, Bangladesh has become more dictatorial. The US, the EU, and other parties denounced the last two elections for serious irregularities, such as thousands of phantom voters and filled ballot boxes.

She received 84% of the vote and 82% of the censure, respectively.

The BNP leader and twice-form premier Khaleda Zia is now very sick and under house arrest due to questionable corruption allegations.

A startling 4 million legal lawsuits have been filed against BNP employees in the meanwhile, and independent media and civic society have also complained of retaliatory harassment.

According to Time, some compare Hasina to a tyrant and the January vote to a coronation.

BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claims that the governing party controls the courts and law enforcement institutions. Alamgir has been charged with 93 crimes, including murder and vandalism, and has been imprisoned nine times.

“They oppress us whenever we raise our voices.”

Hasina has accomplished remarkable things economically.

Bangladesh’s GDP increased from $71 billion in 2006 to $460 billion in 2022, making it the second biggest economy in South Asia after India. From a country that struggled to feed its people, Bangladesh is now a major food exporter.

Social indices have improved as well; 98% of females now complete elementary school. Bangladesh is entering the high-tech manufacturing space, which is enabling multinational companies such as Samsung to remove their supply chains from China.

“Obviously, there is room for improvement in the areas of democracy, human rights, and free speech,” states Professor Mohammad Ali Arafat, a senior Dhaka MP for the Awami League.

However, we have made great progress.

Hasina is aware that failure is not an option when faced with a sour and battered opposition.

“It is quite difficult to remove me using a democratic system,” she asserts. “The only thing to do is just get rid of me. Furthermore, I’m willing to die for my countrymen.