Sheikh Hasina

Who is Sheikh Hasina?

Sheikh Hasina is the present Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been holding that position since January 2009. She previously served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001. Sheikh Hasina acted as the leader of the opposition in the parliament for almost 12 years. She has led the Bangladesh Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first President of Bangladesh, and widow of the nuclear scientist M. A. Wazed Miah. Hasina's party defeated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary election, assuring her of the post of prime minister for the second time. She secured this post for the third time in the 2014 parliamentary election. Hasina is considered one of the most powerful women in the world, ranking 47th on Forbes' list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

Hasina's political career has spanned more than four decades during which she has been both Prime Minister and opposition leader. As opposition leader, she was the target of an assassination attempt in 2004.