Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia died early Tuesday morning after a prolonged illness at the age of 80, her party confirmed.

According to a statement issued by the BNP, Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6 am at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she had been undergoing treatment for more than a month. “The BNP Chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 am, just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer,” the statement said.