Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina Resigns as Prime Minister
Her father’s legacy gave her power. Her inability to cede it led to her downfall.
A grainy video shows two cars parked outside a helicopter at an air force base on the outskirts of Dhaka. A woman in a light-colored sari hops into a car and drives off to meet a plane. The historic footage will remain etched into Bangladesh’s collective memory for decades: former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who ruled with an iron-clad grip for over 15 years, fleeing the country after resigning from the top role.
As news of Hasina’s departure spread, there was jubilation on streets that, moments before, saw chaos and bloodshed. Hasina and her advisors had failed to recognize that the protests were about more than one policy. They reflected anger at an autocracy that had lost touch with its people a long time ago.