Bangladesh’s top court clears way for former PM Khaleda Zia to run in new elections - Supreme Court also acquits former prime minister’s son and heir apparent in corruption case

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the last corruption case against her, paving the way for her to run in elections that an interim government says will be held either in December or in the first half of 2026.

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court acquitted former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a 2008 corruption case on Wednesday, clearing the way for the ailing leader to fight parliamentary elections in the troubled South Asian country.

The interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has ruled the South Asian nation since August, when mass protests forced its then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to neighbouring India. Yunus has said elections might be possible by the end of 2025, but only following electoral reforms.

There was no reason to delay elections any further, however, said Khaleda's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the main political parties, besides Hasina's Awami League.

By bno Chennai bureau The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called on the country’s interim government to hold parliamentary elections no later than July or August 2025, underscoring its view that a delay would deepen political and economic instability.