Woman at the political helm

At present, there are 11 female leaders in the world and eight of them are presidents.

Should Clinton be elected president later this year, she will be the 28th woman in the world to become president and 63rd ever female world leader. In addition, 34 women have served as prime ministers, including 14 who were in the helm for less than a year. All this is apart from current monarchial or vice-regal females in power.

Argentina’s Isabel Peron was the first female president in the world. She succeed her husband Juan Person in 1974 and served in the position until 1976.

The latest female to don the presidential hat is Argentina’s Cristina E. Fern?ndez Wilhelm de Kirchner who was elected Executive President last October.

Before Peron, three women stood out as world class leaders when they became prime ministers. They were Sri Lankan Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1960-1965) (1970-1977) (1994-2000), India’s Indira Gandhi (1966-1977) (1980-1984), 1971 and Golda Me?r in Israel (1969-1974) and 1973.

The female presidents, prime ministers and chancellor who are currently in power are:

Ireland President Mary McAleese elected 1997

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark elected 1999

Finland President Tarja Halonen elected 2000

The Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo succeeded 2001, elected 2004

Mozambique Prime Minister Luisa Diogo appointed 2004

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel elected 2005

Liberia President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf elected 2006

Chile President Michelle Bachelet elected 2006

Switzerland President Micheline Calmy-Rey appointed 2007

India President Pratibha Patil elected 2007

Argentina Cristina E. Fern?ndez Wilhelm de Kirchner Executive President elected 2007

The women who followed their husbands into the leadership position are:

Argentina President Isabel Peron (1974-1976) succeeded husband

Iceland President Vigd?s Finnbogad?ttir (1980-1996) elected

Malta President Agatha Barbara (1982-1987) elected

The Phillipines President Corazon Aquino (1986-1992) elected

Nicaragua President Violeta Chamorro (1990-1997) elected

Ireland President Mary Robinson (1990-1997) elected

Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga (1992 - ) elected

Ireland President Mary McAleese (1997- ) elected

Guyana President Janet Jagan (1997-1999) elected wife

Switzerland President Ruth Dreifuss (1999) appointed

Latvia President Vaira Vike-Freiberga (1999- ) elected

Finland President Tarja Halonen (2000- ) elected Those with less than a year in Power:

The highest ever number of simultaneous female world leaders was 13. It occurred on three occasions. The first occasion was in July of 2002 when Lativa, Finland, New Zealand, Ireland, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Indonesia, Panama, Bangladesh, Senegal, S?o Tom? and Pr?ncipe, and South Korea all had female leaders.

The second was in early April of 2006 with Ireland, New Zealand, Lativa, Finland, the Philippines, Bangledesh, Mozambique, Germany, Liberia, South Korea, Chile, Jamaica, and Sao Tom? and Pr?ncipe. The third occasion was in January-March 2007 with Ireland, New Zealand, Lativa, Finland, Philippines, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Germany, Liberia, Chile, Jamaica, Switzerland, and South Korea. Countries that have had female Prime Ministers are:

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1960-1965) (1970-1977) (1994-2000) India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1966-1977) (1980-1984) appointed, elected 1971

Israel Prime Minister Golda Me?r (1969-1974) appointed, elected 1973

Central African Republic Prime Minister ?lisabeth Domiti?n (1975-1976) appointed

United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) elected

Dominica Prime Minister Eugenia Charles (1980-1995) elected

Norway Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland (Feb-Oct 1981) (1986-1989) (1990-1996) elected

Yugoslavia Prime Minister Milka Planinc (1982-1986) appointed

Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (1988-1990) (1993-1996) elected

Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia (1991-1996) (2001-2007) elected

Poland Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka (1992-1993) appointed

Turkey Prime Minister Tansu ?iller (1993-1996) appointed

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed (1996-2001) elected

New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shippley (1997-1999) appointed

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark (1999- ) elected

Senegal Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye (2001-2002) appointed

S?o Tom? and Pr?ncipe Prime Minister Maria das Neves (2002-2004) appointed

Mozambique Prime Minister Luisa Diogo (2004- ) appointed

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel (2005- ) elected

Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller (2006-2007) elected

South Korea Prime Minister Han Myung Sook (2006-2007) appointed

Milka Planinc served as head of government in Yugoslavia’s Communist regime. ?lisabeth Domiti?n served under the dictatorship of the insane “Emperor” Bokassa.

They are the only two female leaders who ruled in non-democratic countries.