- When Sheinbaum won the presidential election in Mexico, the world was reminded that women can go farthest in politics
- We compile the list of countries that have produced women as presidents and prime ministers
- Some of these countries include France, Namibia, Uganda and India
Recently, the emergence of Claudia Sheinbaum as the first female President in Mexico raised jubilations from various ends, especially from people who felt women are often left out from being major stakeholders in their countries.
In lieu of this, it is important to celebrate the impact women leaders have been making over the years by highlighting some countries that have produced female heads of state and government.
16 countries that have produced female presidents and prime ministers
1. Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina Wazed, born in 1947, is currently recognised as the world's longest-serving female head of government, having served for over 20 years between June 1996 and July 2001 and from 6 January 2009 to the present. She was appointed as prime minister by President Lajuddin Ahmed on January 6, 2009. She is the 10th prime minister of Bangladesh. Her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is the founding father and first president of Bangladesh.
In her administration, she has done some major reforms in Bangladesh such as the sharing of the 30-year water-sharing treaty and India governing the Ganges, repealing the Indemnity Act, opening up the telecommunications industry to the private sector, the signing of Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord which ended the insurgency in Chittagong Division for which Hasina won the UNESCO Peace Prize, poverty alleviation programs which provided credit and training to unemployed youths and women, provision of allowance scheme for 400,000 elderly people monthly, among many others.
2. Barbados
Sandra Mason is a Barbadian politician, lawyer, and diplomat who has been serving as the first president of Barbados since October 20, 2021, after being appointed by the Parliament of Barbados. She was the second woman to hold the office of Governor-General of Barbados from 2018-2021. This is because Barbados changed its system of government from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.
3. Uganda
Robina Nabbanja was born on 17 December 1969 and is Uganda's first female Prime Minister. She was nominated to the office of the Prime Minister on 8 June 2021 and was formally confirmed by the Parliament on 21 June 2021. Also, between 14 December 2019 and 3 May 2021, she served as the State Minister of Health for General Duties in the Ugandan cabinet, and is currently the elected Member of Parliament for Kakumiro District Women Constituency in the 11th Parliament.
4. Togo
Victoire Tomegah Dogbé was born on 23 December 1959. She is the first female Prime Minister of Togo, having assumed office on 28 September 2020. She was previously the Minister of Grassroots Development, Handicrafts, Youth and Youth Employment in The Komi Sélom Klassou Government. Also, she was the Cabinet Director of President Faure Gnassingbé.
5. New Zealand
Cindy Kiro was born in 1958 in New Zealand. She is the first female Māori (Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand) descent to hold office as governor-general in New Zealand. She emerged as governor-general in New Zealand on October 21, 2021.
She was formerly the Children's Commissioner, head of school of the school of public health at Massey University, Chief executive of The Royal Society Te Apārangi, among others.
6. France
Élisabeth Borne, born in 1961, served as the Prime Minister of France from 2022 to 2024, being the second woman to hold the position after Edith Cresson, who also served from 1991 to 1992.
She once served as Minister of Transport between 2017-2019, and Minister of Ecology between 2019-2020. She was the Minister of Labour, Employment and Integration in the Castex government from 2020 to 2022. She formally resigned as Prime Minister on 8 January 2024 after a major government crisis which was triggered by the passage of a hardline immigration bill.
7. India
Droupadi Murmu is the 15th President of India and the current incumbent. She is the second female President after Pratibha Patil and the youngest President ever because she was born in an independent India.
She was the eighth Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021 and the longest-serving Governor for that State. She was also a member of the Rairangpur Assembly Constituency between 2000 and 2009 and Minister of State between 2000 and 2004.
8. Italy
Giorgia Meloni, born January 15, 1977, is the first woman to hold the position of Prime Minister in Italy. She assumed office in October 2022 and is known as a “far-right politician,” a radically conservative and authoritarian political sect.
9. Ethiopia
Sahle-Work Zewde is the first woman to hold the position of President in Ethiopia since 2018 after being elected by the members of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly on 25 October 2018.
Remarkably, Sahle-Work Zewde was ranked 96th in the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in The World. Also, she doubles as the highest ranking African woman on the list.
10. Hungary
46-year-old Katalin Éva Veresné Novák is the first woman and youngest president in the history of Hungary, as she was elected at the age of 44 and was President from 2022 to 2024.
Before emerging as the president of Hungary, she was a member of the National Assembly for Fidesz from 2018 to 2022. She also served as the Minister for Family Affairs in the fourth Orbán government from 2020 to 2021.
11. Peru
Dina Boluarte was born on 31 May 1962. She is a Peruvian politician, lawyer and civil servant. She emerged as the President of Peru on December 7, 2022, and she is still occupying the office.
Also, she was the first female Vice-president in Peru, serving under President Pedro Castillo. She also served as the Minister at the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion.
12. Tanzania
Samia Suhulu Hassan, 64, emerged as the first female President of Tanzania on 19 March 2021, following the death of President John Magufuli. She had formerly served as the Vice-president from 2015-2021.
13. Denmark
Mette Frederiksen was born on 19 November 1977. She is the second Danish woman to emerge as the Prime Minister of Denmark in June 2019. She was also the leader of the Social Democrats in June 2019.
14. Greece
68-year-old Katerina Sakellaropoulou is the first female president of Greece. She assumed office as President on March 13, 2020, and previously served as president of the Council of State.
15. Namibia
Saara Kuugongelwa was born on 12 October 1967. She is the first woman to serve as the Prime Minister in Namibia. Her tenure began as Prime Minister in 2015. She has previously served as Minister of Finance in Namibia from 2003 to 2015.
16. Germany
History was made when Angela Merkel emerged as the first female chancellor in Germany, and her tenure from 2005 to 2021 marked one of the longest in the European Union. Although she wasn’t president or prime minister, her position as chancellor puts her in the same bracket as the other women on this list.
Merkel, who will be 70 in July, started politics in 1990 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the leader of her party in 2000. Known for her pragmatic and compassionate leadership style, Merkel has been a key figure in European politics. She navigated the European sovereign debt crisis and advocated for climate action, human rights, and social justice.
Admittedly, women have contributed tremendously to society in various sectors, including politics. This highlight celebrates women in leadership and inspires upcoming female politicians to climb the political ladder.
