(বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dôl, BNP) is currently the ruling
Political Party in
Bangladesh . It was founded on
September 1 ,
1978 , by former
President Ziaur Rahman . The party ruled the country many times. The party's chair is
Begum Khaleda Zia , the
Prime Minister of Bangladesh. In 2001 elections the BNP and its allies got 47% of the vote and 215 of the 300 seats in Parliament.
The BNP promotes a very right-of-center policy, and is often accused of being too soft on the fundamentalist segments of the political establishment, sections of which want
Sharia law all over Bangladesh. Adopting anti-poor policies has often overshadowed the success of BNP governments on macro-economic fronts. The party has at times found itself governing the country during times of great challenge to the state.
President Ziaur Rahman , during his tenure, gave the country an independent foreign and defense policy, and moved away from the pro-Indian positions.
