分类： politics

Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s pioneering female prime minister and formidable political force, passed away at 80 after battling prolonged health complications. Her death marks the end of an era for a nation shaped by her decades-long rivalry with contemporary Sheikh Hasina.

Initially characterized as a shy homemaker devoted to her two sons, Zia’s political destiny transformed following the 1981 assassination of her husband, military leader and President Ziaur Rahman. Assuming leadership of his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 1984, she emerged as an unexpected political powerhouse who would eventually break gender barriers in Muslim-majority governance.

Zia’s 1991 electoral victory constituted a historic milestone, making her Bangladesh’s first female premier and only the second woman to democratically lead a majority-Muslim nation after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto. Her administration implemented significant constitutional reforms, replacing the presidential system with parliamentary governance and instituting progressive policies including free compulsory primary education and economic liberalization measures.

Her political journey was defined by the legendary rivalry with Sheikh Hasina—daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father—which earned them the collective nickname ‘the battling Begums.’ Their contrasting leadership styles—Zia’s reserved deliberateness versus Hasina’s assertive outspokenness—created a political dichotomy that dominated national discourse for generations.

Zia’s second term faced significant challenges including militant extremism and corruption allegations. The 2004 grenade attack targeting Hasina’s rally, which killed over 20 people, remains a controversial chapter with her administration facing widespread accusations of involvement.

Following her 2006 exit from power, Zia endured imprisonment and house arrest on corruption charges she consistently denounced as politically motivated. Her final years witnessed partial political rehabilitation, with August 2024 bringing release from house arrest after Hasina’s ouster, and early 2025 Supreme Court acquittals clearing her of previous convictions.

The BNP, under leadership of her son Tarique Rahman following his recent return from exile, remains a potent political force as Bangladesh approaches February parliamentary elections. Zia’s legacy endures as that of a transformative leader who reshaped constitutional governance while embodying both the possibilities and perils of dynastic politics in South Asia.

BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has asserted a substantial victory in the initial phase of the country’s first general election since the 2021 military takeover, despite the absence of official confirmation from state election authorities.

The controversial electoral process, conducted amid ongoing civil conflict, commenced on Sunday across 102 of Myanmar’s 330 townships. The remaining voting phases are scheduled for January 11 and January 25, with 65 townships excluded entirely due to security concerns.

A senior USDP official, speaking anonymously to The Associated Press, claimed the party secured 88 of 102 contested lower house seats and approximately 85% of regional legislature positions in this initial round. The official further noted the party’s sweep of all constituencies in the capital Naypyitaw, a military and government stronghold.

Myanmar’s political structure allocates 25% of parliamentary seats to the military automatically under the constitution, with the remaining 664 seats distributed through election. The party achieving a combined parliamentary majority holds the authority to select the president and form the new government.

The election occurs against a backdrop of significant controversy. Human rights organizations and opposition groups have denounced the process as neither free nor fair, asserting that power will inevitably remain with military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The 2021 coup ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party was dissolved in 2023 after refusing to register under new military regulations.

Voter eligibility has dropped approximately 35% since the 2020 election, with officials citing armed conflict and displacement as primary factors. Opposition groups have called for an electoral boycott, while state media reported attacks on polling stations in 11 townships during the voting period, resulting in several casualties.

Final results are anticipated by late January, though it remains uncertain whether interim aggregate figures will be released publicly.

Amidst recent live-fire military exercises conducted by China around Taiwan, featuring advanced aircraft, warships, and rocket launches, Beijing’s foreign ministry has reaffirmed its objective to achieve “complete reunification” with the island territory. Taipei continues to resist these sovereignty claims, maintaining that Taiwan has never existed under the Chinese Communist Party’s governance in its current constitutional framework.

The island’s complex history reveals a tapestry of colonial influences and political transformations. During the 1600s, Dutch and Spanish colonizers vied for control of Formosa (as Taiwan was then known), establishing footholds while Indigenous populations and Han Chinese migrants inhabited the island. The Dutch East India Company established a southern base near contemporary Tainan, while Spanish forces constructed northern forts.

In 1662, military leader Koxinga, loyal to China’s Ming dynasty, defeated the Dutch. By 1684, the Qing dynasty incorporated Taiwan into China’s Fujian province, later declaring it a standalone Chinese province under Han Chinese governance in 1885.

Following Qing defeat in the Sino-Japanese War (1895), Emperor Guangxu ceded Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan, initiating five decades of often harsh colonial rule. Japan’s WWII surrender in 1945 returned Taiwan to the Republic of China under Nationalist Party (KMT) control, even as civil war raged between Nationalists and Mao Zedong’s Communists.

The Nationalists’ 1949 retreat to Taiwan established de facto self-rule as Mao founded the People’s Republic of China on the mainland. Over one million military personnel, officials, and civilians accompanied Chiang Kai-shek’s government to the island. The KMT maintained its claim as China’s legitimate government throughout its authoritarian rule under martial law (1949-1987), a period marked by political repression known as the White Terror.

January 1979 witnessed a geopolitical watershed when the United States established formal relations with China, terminating official recognition of Taiwan through its “One China” policy. That April, however, the U.S. Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, creating frameworks for unofficial ties and committing to provide Taiwan with self-defense capabilities.

The 1992 Consensus saw both sides acknowledging “one China” while permitting divergent interpretations. Taiwan’s democratic evolution accelerated with its first legislative elections (1992) and presidential election (1996), won by KMT’s Lee Teng-hui. China responded to Lee’s perceived separatist rhetoric with missile tests encircling Taiwan (1995-1996).

The 2000 election of Democratic Progressive Party’s Chen Shui-bian marked Taiwan’s first peaceful power transfer, ending five decades of KMT rule. Recent tensions escalated dramatically following U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 2022 Taiwan visit, prompting China’s largest-ever military drills around the island. Beijing has since maintained near-daily military presence near Taiwan, with December 2025 exercises responding to perceived provocations from Japan’s leadership and anticipated U.S. arms sales to Taipei.

Bangladesh’s political landscape was shaken on Tuesday by the passing of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at age 80. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which she led as chairperson, confirmed her death occurred at 6:00 AM local time following dawn prayers, marking the end of an era for one of the nation’s most influential political figures.

Her demise comes at a critical juncture in Bangladeshi politics, just as the country prepares for general elections scheduled for February 2026. Despite significant health challenges and a recent hospitalization in late November, Zia had remained politically active, with party representatives submitting nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies merely hours before her passing.

The BNP statement memorialized Zia as a “national leader” and requested prayers for her departed soul. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus had previously characterized her as “a source of utmost inspiration for the nation” during her final days.

Zia’s political career was marked by dramatic highs and lows, including imprisonment on corruption charges in 2018 under the government of her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina. Her release last year coincided with Hasina’s ousting from power following mass protests. Medical treatment complications further complicated her final years, as plans for specialized care in London were thwarted by her unstable condition.

The political transition continues with her son, Tarique Rahman, recently returning from 17 years of self-imposed exile to assume leadership of the BNP. He is expected to lead the party into the upcoming elections and potentially assume the prime minister role should the BNP secure a majority.

Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, noted that Zia had earned the reputation as the ‘uncompromising leader’ whose life exemplified the extreme challenges faced by political figures—including lawsuits, imprisonment, and persecution. Family members, including Rahman, were present at her bedside during her final moments.

Southeast Asian security analysts are raising alarms over Japan’s rapid military expansion under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration, warning that these developments could fundamentally alter regional stability. Since assuming office in October 2025, Takaichi has implemented a series of controversial security policy shifts that mark a significant departure from Japan’s postwar pacifist stance.

The government has accelerated its defense spending timeline, now targeting the NATO-standard 2% of GDP expenditure two years ahead of schedule. More provocatively, Tokyo is considering revisions to its Three Non-Nuclear Principles while exploring options for nuclear-powered submarines and eased arms export restrictions. These moves have generated both domestic and international concern about Japan’s strategic direction.

According to Peter T.C. Chang, research associate at the Malaysia-China Friendship Association, Takaichi represents a right-wing ideology seeking to restore Japan’s imperial-era strength through a movement reminiscent of America’s ‘MAGA’ campaign. This political trajectory threatens to disrupt the delicate balance that has underpinned ASEAN’s prolonged stability, which has historically relied on Japan’s economic rather than military influence.

Regional experts note that Japan’s military deployments have increasingly focused on Southeast Asia, with particular attention to offensive capabilities such as long-range missiles stationed on southwestern islands. James Gomez of Bangkok’s Asia Centre warns that this buildup will inevitably heighten geopolitical tensions across the region.

The fundamental concern among ASEAN members is whether Southeast Asia might transform from a driver of regional stability into an arena for major-power competition. University of Malaya professor Awang Azman Awang Pawi cautions that closer Japan-US security alignment could force ASEAN states to choose sides in great-power rivalries.

Domestic challenges including Japan’s rapidly aging population, shrinking workforce, and substantial social spending commitments raise questions about the sustainability of this military expansion. Nevertheless, the Takaichi administration continues to advance its security agenda at an unprecedented pace, creating new uncertainties for the Asia-Pacific region.