Women holds power Worldwide, Kosor of Croatia adds to the List

Jadranka Kosor of Croatia, who has been nominated as first woman prime minister of Croatia, joins a list of women empowered to lead nations worldwide. Like in our own country and other countries as well around the world, people have already placed their trust on capable women to lead them. Not long time ago, women were considered as second class citizens, not allowed to vote, participate in public discussions, and were restricted from a lot of different types of work. But this has changed a lot over the course of time, women have asserted their rights in society. They have even excelled in fields that only men were allowed to occupy. In the United States, Hillary Clinton was the staunch rival of Barrack Obama for the right to be the representative of the Democrat party for the presidential elections. She was narrowly beaten by Barrack Obama during their race for the Democrat presidential nomination. But later on, President Barrack Obama entrusted her with the powerful position of being the US State Secretary. In our own country, the Philippines, we have President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has been in power for almost a decade. She replaced President Joseph Estrada in 2001 during People Power Revolution 2 in the Philippines. I hope that these women leaders would show the world that they could effectively lead countries around the world. They should stop corruption and lead the people around the world out of poverty.

Source: Inquirer

Heads of government:

- GERMANY: Angela Merkel became Germany's first woman chancellor when she was elected in November 2005.

- ICELAND: Social Democrat Johanna Sigurdardottir became Iceland's first female premier in February this year.

- BANGLADESH: Sheikh Hasina Wajed became prime minister in February. She had held the post between 1996 and 2001.

- HAITI: Michele Pierre-Louis became the country's second woman prime minister in July last year.

- MOLDOVA: Zinaida Greceanii in power since March 31, 2008.

- MOZAMBIQUE: Luisa Diogo holds prime ministerial office since February 2004.

- UKRAINE: Yulia Timoshenko held the prime minister's office from January to September 2005 and then assumed the post again on December 18, 2007.

ELECTED HEADS OF STATE:

- LITHUANIA: Dalia Grybauskaite elected on May 18, 2009.

- ARGENTINA: Cristina Kirchner, elected in October 2007.

- INDIA: Pratibha Patil elected in July 2007 as the country's first woman president.

- CHILE: Michelle Bachelet, elected in January 2006.

- LIBERIA: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first African woman president after her election in November 2005.

- PHILIPPINES: Vice president Gloria Arroyo replaced Joseph Estrada in 2001 after he was removed for corruption. She was elected in 2004.

- FINLAND: Tarja Halonen was elected in 2000 and then again in January 2006.

- IRELAND: Mary McAleese, succeeded another woman Mary Robinson in 1997. She was re-elected in October 2004.