New Delhi, Dec. 30 -- Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, whose archrivalry with another former premier defined the country's politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement Tuesday. She was 80.

Zia was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's interim government announced a three-day mourning period. A general holiday also was announced for Wednesday when Zia's funeral prayers are scheduled be held in front of the country's national Parliament building in Dhaka.

Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus issued a statement Tuesday citing Zia's contributions to the country.

"Her role in the struggle to establish democracy, a multi-party political culture, an...