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List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government

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This article is about female leaders of independent states. For constituent and dependent territories, see List of female constituent and dependent territory leaders.

Elected and appointed female heads of state and government
All countries which currently have a woman serving as an elected or appointed head of state or government, as of 13 March 2023.[a][b]
All countries which have ever had a woman serve as an elected or appointed head of state or government, as of 16 February 2023.[a][b]
  Female head of government[c]
  Female head of state[d]
  Female combined head of state/government, or female head of government and monarchial head of state with no vice-regal representative
  Female head of state and female head of government, in separate offices[d]

The following is a list of women who have been elected or appointed head of state or government of their respective countries since the interwar period (1918–1939). The first list includes female presidents who are heads of state and may also be heads of government, as well as female heads of government who are not concurrently head of state, such as prime ministers. The list does not include female monarchs who are heads of state (but not of government).[e]

Khertek Anchimaa-Toka, of the mostly unrecognized and now defunct Tuvan People's Republic, is regarded as "first ever elected woman head of state in the world". She became the chairwoman of the country's presidium in 1940.[1][2]

The first woman to be democratically elected as prime minister of a country was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), when she led her party to victory in the July 1960 general election.[3][2]

The first woman to serve as president of a country was Isabel Perón of Argentina, who served as the country's vice president and succeeded to the presidency in July 1974 upon the death of her husband.[4][2]

The first woman elected president of a country was Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland, who won the 1980 presidential election as well as three subsequent elections, remaining in office for a total of 16 years, which makes her the longest-serving non-hereditary female head of state in history.[5][2]

The first democratically elected female prime minister of a Muslim majority country was Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, who led her party to victory in the 1988 general election and later in 1993, making her the first woman democratically elected leader of any Muslim nation.[6] Bhutto was also the first of only two non-hereditary female world leaders who gave birth to a child while serving in office, the other being Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.[7]

The longest-tenured female non-hereditary head of government and longest-serving female leader of a country is Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. She served as the country's prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and again since 2009, for a combined total of over 19 years.[8]

The prime ministers of Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Peru, and Uganda are included in the list of elected or appointed female deputy heads of government but not in the list of elected or appointed female deputy heads of state, as they are neither heads of government, nor deputy heads of state due to the existence of the office of vice president in these countries, whereas the prime ministers of South Korea are included in both of those lists.

Currently, Barbados is the only republic in the world where both the serving head of state and head of government are women.

Elected or appointed female chief executives

This list includes women who were appointed by a governing committee or parliament where heads of state or government are not directly elected by citizens. The list does not include women chosen by a hereditary monarch. Interim heads of state or government are listed in italics.

  Incumbent
Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate
end 		Term length Head of state
or government 		Executive
or non-executive
Khertek Anchimaa-Toka  Tannu Tuva[f] Chairwoman of the Presidium
of the Little Khural 		6 April 1940 11 October 1944 4 years, 188 days Head of state
Sirimavo Bandaranaike  Ceylon/
 Sri Lanka 		Prime Minister 21 July 1960 27 March 1965 4 years, 249 days Head of government Executive
29 May 1970 23 July 1977 7 years, 55 days
14 November 1994 9 August 2000 5 years, 269 days
Indira Gandhi  India Prime Minister 24 January 1966 24 April 1977 11 years, 90 days Head of government Executive
15 January 1980 31 October 1984
(assassinated) 		4 years, 290 days
Golda Meir  Israel Head of the Government 17 March 1969 3 June 1974 5 years, 78 days Head of government Executive
Isabel Perón  Argentina President 1 July 1974 24 March 1976 1 year, 267 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Elisabeth Domitien  Central African Republic Prime Minister 2 January 1975 7 April 1976 1 year, 96 days Head of government
Margaret Thatcher  United Kingdom Prime Minister 4 May 1979 28 November 1990 11 years, 208 days Head of government Executive
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo  Portugal Prime Minister 1 August 1979 3 January 1980 155 days Head of government Executive
Lidia Gueiler Tejada  Bolivia President 16 November 1979 17 July 1980 244 days Head of state Executive
Eugenia Charles  Dominica Prime Minister 21 July 1980 14 June 1995 14 years, 328 days Head of government Executive
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir  Iceland President 1 August 1980 1 August 1996 16 years, 0 days Head of state
Gro Harlem Brundtland  Norway Minister of State 4 February 1981 14 October 1981 252 days Head of government Executive
9 May 1986 16 October 1989 3 years, 160 days
3 November 1990 25 October 1996 5 years, 357 days
Soong Ching-ling  China Honorary President 16 May 1981 28 May 1981 12 days Head of state
Agatha Barbara  Malta President 15 February 1982 15 February 1987 5 years Head of state
Milka Planinc  Yugoslavia President of the Federal Executive Council 16 May 1982 15 May 1986 3 years, 364 days Head of government Executive
Corazon Aquino  Philippines President 25 February 1986 30 June 1992 6 years, 126 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Stella Sigcau  Transkei[g] Prime Minister 5 October 1987 30 December 1987 86 days Head of government Executive
Benazir Bhutto  Pakistan Prime Minister 2 December 1988 6 July 1990 1 year, 216 days Head of government Executive
19 October 1993 5 November 1996 3 years, 17 days
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot  Haiti President 13 March 1990 7 February 1991 331 days Head of state
Kazimira Prunskienė  Lithuania Minister-Chairwoman 11 March 1990 10 January 1991 299 days Head of government Executive
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl  East Germany President of the People's Chamber 5 April 1990 2 October 1990 180 days Head of state
Violeta Chamorro  Nicaragua President 25 April 1990 10 January 1997 6 years, 260 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Mary Robinson  Ireland President 3 December 1990 12 September 1997 6 years, 283 days Head of state
Khaleda Zia  Bangladesh Prime Minister 27 February 1991 30 March 1996 5 years, 32 days Head of government Executive
1 October 2001 29 October 2006 5 years, 28 days
Édith Cresson  France Prime Minister 15 May 1991 2 April 1992 323 days Head of government
Hanna Suchocka  Poland President of the Council of Ministers 11 July 1992 25 October 1993 1 year, 106 days Head of government
Tansu Çiller  Turkey Prime Minister 13 June 1993 6 March 1996 2 years, 267 days Head of government
Kim Campbell  Canada Prime Minister 25 June 1993 4 November 1993 132 days Head of government Executive
Sylvie Kinigi  Burundi Prime Minister 10 July 1993 7 February 1994 109 days Head of government
Agathe Uwilingiyimana  Rwanda Prime Minister 18 July 1993 7 April 1994
(assassinated) 		263 days Head of government
Chandrika Kumaratunga  Sri Lanka President 12 November 1994 19 November 2005 11 years, 7 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Claudette Werleigh File:Prime Minister Claudette Werleigh.png  Haiti Prime Minister 7 November 1995 27 February 1996 112 days Head of government
Sheikh Hasina  Bangladesh Prime Minister 12 June 1996 15 July 2001 5 years, 33 days Head of government Executive
6 January 2009 Incumbent 15 years, 195 days
Ruth Perry  Liberia Chairwoman of the Council of State 3 September 1996 2 August 1997 333 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Rosalía Arteaga  Ecuador President 6 February 1997 11 February 1997 5 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Mary McAleese  Ireland President 11 November 1997 10 November 2011 13 years, 364 days Head of state
Jenny Shipley  New Zealand Prime Minister 8 December 1997 10 December 1999 2 years, 2 days Head of government Executive
Janet Jagan  Guyana President 19 December 1997 11 August 1999 1 year, 235 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga  Latvia President 8 July 1999 8 July 2007 8 years Head of state
Mireya Moscoso  Panama President 1 September 1999 1 September 2004 5 years Head of state
and government 		Executive
Helen Clark  New Zealand Prime Minister 10 December 1999 19 November 2008 8 years, 350 days Head of government Executive
Tarja Halonen  Finland President 1 March 2000 1 March 2012 12 years Head of state
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo  Philippines President 20 January 2001 30 June 2010 9 years, 161 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Mame Madior Boye  Senegal Prime Minister 3 March 2001 4 November 2002 1 year, 246 days Head of government Executive
Megawati Sukarnoputri  Indonesia President 23 July 2001 20 October 2004 3 years, 89 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Maria das Neves  São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister 3 October 2002 18 September 2004 1 year, 351 days Head of government
Anneli Jäätteenmäki  Finland Minister of State 17 April 2003 24 June 2003 68 days Head of government Executive
Yulia Tymoshenko  Ukraine Prime Minister 24 January 2005 6 September 2005 225 days Head of government Executive
18 December 2007 3 March 2010 2 years, 75 days
Maria do Carmo Silveira  São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister 8 June 2005 21 April 2006 317 days Head of government
Angela Merkel  Germany Federal Chancellor 22 November 2005 8 December 2021 16 years, 16 days Head of government Executive
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf  Liberia President 16 January 2006 22 January 2018 12 years, 6 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Michelle Bachelet  Chile President 11 March 2006 11 March 2010 4 years Head of state
and government 		Executive
11 March 2014 11 March 2018 4 years
Portia Simpson-Miller  Jamaica Prime Minister 30 March 2006 11 September 2007 1 year, 165 days Head of government Executive
5 January 2012 3 March 2016 4 years, 58 days
Pratibha Patil  India President 25 July 2007 25 July 2012 5 years Head of state
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner  Argentina President 10 December 2007 10 December 2015 8 years Head of state
and government 		Executive
Zinaida Greceanîi  Moldova Prime Minister 31 March 2008 14 September 2009 1 year, 167 days Head of government Executive
Michèle Pierre-Louis  Haiti Prime Minister 5 September 2008 11 November 2009 1 year, 67 days Head of government
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir  Iceland Prime Minister 1 February 2009 23 May 2013 4 years, 111 days Head of government Executive
Jadranka Kosor  Croatia President of the Government 6 July 2009 23 December 2011 2 years, 170 days Head of government Executive
Dalia Grybauskaitė  Lithuania President 12 July 2009 12 July 2019 10 years Head of state
Roza Otunbayeva  Kyrgyzstan President 7 April 2010 1 December 2011 1 year, 238 days Head of state
Laura Chinchilla  Costa Rica President 8 May 2010 8 May 2014 4 years Head of state
and government 		Executive
Kamla Persad-Bissessar  Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister 26 May 2010 9 September 2015 5 years, 106 days Head of government Executive
Mari Kiviniemi  Finland Minister of State 22 June 2010 22 June 2011 1 year Head of government Executive
Julia Gillard  Australia Prime Minister 24 June 2010 27 June 2013 3 years, 3 days Head of government Executive
Iveta Radičová  Slovakia Chairwoman of the Government 8 July 2010 4 April 2012 1 year, 271 days Head of government Executive
Dilma Rousseff  Brazil President 1 January 2011 31 August 2016
Suspended 12 May 2016 		5 years, 243 days
5 years, 139 days 		Head of state
and government 		Executive
Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé  Mali Prime Minister 3 April 2011 22 March 2012 354 days Head of government
Atifete Jahjaga  Kosovo President 7 April 2011 7 April 2016 5 years Head of state
Yingluck Shinawatra  Thailand Prime Minister 5 August 2011 7 May 2014 2 years, 275 days Head of government Executive
Helle Thorning-Schmidt  Denmark Minister of State 3 October 2011 28 June 2015 3 years, 268 days Head of government Executive
Joyce Banda  Malawi President 7 April 2012 31 May 2014 2 years, 54 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Park Geun-hye  South Korea President 25 February 2013 10 March 2017
Suspended 9 December 2016 		4 years, 13 days
3 years, 288 days 		Head of state
and government 		Executive
Alenka Bratušek  Slovenia President of the Government 20 March 2013 18 September 2014 1 year, 182 days Head of government Executive
Tatiana Turanskaya  Transnistria[h] Chairwoman of the Government 10 June 2013 13 October 2015 2 years, 125 days Head of government Executive
30 November 2015 2 December 2015 2 days
Sibel Siber  Northern Cyprus[i] Prime Minister 13 June 2013 2 September 2013 81 days Head of government Executive
Aminata Touré  Senegal Prime Minister 1 September 2013 8 July 2014 310 days Head of government Executive
Erna Solberg  Norway Minister of State 16 October 2013 14 October 2021 7 years, 363 days Head of government Executive
Laimdota Straujuma  Latvia Minister-President 22 January 2014 11 February 2016 2 years, 20 days Head of government Executive
Catherine Samba-Panza  Central African Republic President 23 January 2014 30 March 2016 2 years, 67 days Head of state Executive
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca  Malta President 4 April 2014 4 April 2019 5 years Head of state
Ewa Kopacz  Poland President of the Council of Ministers 22 September 2014 16 November 2015 1 year, 55 days Head of government
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović  Croatia President 19 February 2015 18 February 2020 4 years, 364 days Head of state
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim  Mauritius President 5 June 2015 23 March 2018 2 years, 291 days Head of state
Bidya Devi Bhandari    Nepal President 29 October 2015 13 March 2023 7 years, 135 days Head of state
Beata Szydło  Poland President of the Council of Ministers 16 November 2015 11 December 2017 2 years, 25 days Head of government Executive
Hilda Heine  Marshall Islands President 28 January 2016 14 January 2020 3 years, 351 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Aung San Suu Kyi  Myanmar State Counsellor 6 April 2016 1 February 2021 4 years, 301 days De facto head
of government 		De facto Executive
Tsai Ing-wen  Taiwan[j] President 20 May 2016 Incumbent 8 years, 60 days Head of state Executive
Theresa May  United Kingdom Prime Minister 13 July 2016 24 July 2019 3 years, 11 days Head of government Executive
Kersti Kaljulaid  Estonia President 10 October 2016 11 October 2021 5 years, 1 day Head of state
Ana Brnabić  Serbia President of the Government 29 June 2017 Incumbent 7 years, 20 days Head of government Executive
Halimah Yacob  Singapore President 14 September 2017 14 September 2023 6 years, 0 days Head of state
Jacinda Ardern  New Zealand Prime Minister 26 October 2017 25 January 2023 5 years, 91 days Head of government Executive
Katrín Jakobsdóttir  Iceland Prime Minister 30 November 2017 Incumbent 6 years, 232 days Head of government Executive
Viorica Dăncilă  Romania Prime Minister of the Government 29 January 2018 4 November 2019 1 year, 279 days Head of government Executive
Paula-Mae Weekes  Trinidad and Tobago President 19 March 2018 20 March 2023 5 years, 1 day Head of state
Mia Mottley  Barbados Prime Minister 25 May 2018 Incumbent 6 years, 55 days Head of government Executive
Sahle-Work Zewde  Ethiopia President 25 October 2018 Incumbent 5 years, 268 days Head of state
Salome Zourabichvili  Georgia President 16 December 2018 Incumbent 5 years, 216 days Head of state
Brigitte Bierlein  Austria Federal Chancellor 3 June 2019 7 January 2020 218 days Head of government Executive
Maia Sandu  Moldova Prime Minister 8 June 2019 14 November 2019 159 days Head of government Executive
President 24 December 2020 Incumbent 3 years, 208 days Head of state
Zuzana Čaputová  Slovakia President 15 June 2019 Incumbent 5 years, 34 days Head of state
Mette Frederiksen  Denmark Minister of State 27 June 2019 Incumbent 5 years, 22 days Head of government Executive
Sophie Wilmès  Belgium Prime Minister 27 October 2019 1 October 2020 340 days Head of government Executive
Jeanine Áñez  Bolivia President 12 November 2019 8 November 2020 362 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Sanna Marin  Finland Prime Minister 10 December 2019 20 June 2023 3 years, 192 days Head of government Executive
Katerina Sakellaropoulou  Greece President 13 March 2020 Incumbent 4 years, 128 days Head of state
Rose Christiane Raponda  Gabon Prime Minister 16 July 2020 9 January 2023 2 years, 177 days Head of government Executive[k]
Victoire Tomegah Dogbé  Togo Prime Minister 28 September 2020 Incumbent 3 years, 295 days Head of government Executive[l]
Ingrida Šimonytė  Lithuania Minister-Chairwoman 11 December 2020 Incumbent 3 years, 221 days Head of government Executive
Kaja Kallas  Estonia Prime Minister 26 January 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 175 days Head of government Executive
Samia Suluhu Hassan  Tanzania President 19 March 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 122 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Vjosa Osmani  Kosovo President 4 April 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 106 days Head of state
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa  Samoa Prime Minister 24 May 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 56 days Head of government Executive
Natalia Gavrilița  Moldova Prime Minister 6 August 2021 16 February 2023 1 year, 194 days Head of government Executive
Najla Bouden  Tunisia Prime Minister 11 October 2021 2 August 2023 1 year, 295 days Head of government Executive
Sandra Mason  Barbados President 30 November 2021 Incumbent 2 years, 232 days Head of state
Magdalena Andersson  Sweden Minister of State 30 November 2021 18 October 2022 322 days Head of government Executive
Xiomara Castro  Honduras President 27 January 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 174 days Head of state and government Executive
Katalin Novák  Hungary President 10 May 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 70 days Head of state
Élisabeth Borne  France Prime Minister 16 May 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 64 days Head of government
Droupadi Murmu  India President 25 July 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 360 days Head of state
Liz Truss  United Kingdom Prime Minister 6 September 2022 25 October 2022 49 days Head of government Executive
Giorgia Meloni  Italy Prime Minister 22 October 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 271 days Head of government Executive
Dina Boluarte  Peru President 7 December 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 225 days Head of state and government Executive
Nataša Pirc Musar  Slovenia President 22 December 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 210 days Head of state
Borjana Krišto  Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers 25 January 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 176 days Head of government
Christine Kangaloo  Trinidad and Tobago President 20 March 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 121 days Head of state
Evika Siliņa  Latvia Prime Minister 15 September 2023 Incumbent 308 days Head of government Executive
Sylvanie Burton  Dominica President 2 October 2023 Incumbent 291 days Head of state

Elected or appointed acting female chief executives

This list includes women elected or appointed in an acting capacity, wherein they assumed a vacated office on a temporary basis.

  Incumbent
Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate end Term length Head of state
or government
Sükhbaataryn Yanjmaa  Mongolia Acting Chairman of the Presidium
of the State Great Khural 		7 September 1953 7 July 1954 303 days Head of state
Soong Ching-ling  China Acting Co-Chairperson 31 October 1968 24 April 1972 3 years, 176 days Head of state
Acting Chairperson 6 July 1976 5 March 1978 1 year, 242 days
Carmen Pereira  Guinea-Bissau Acting President 14 May 1984 16 May 1984 2 days Head of state
Sylvie Kinigi  Burundi Acting President 27 October 1993 5 February 1994 101 days Head of state
Reneta Indzhova  Bulgaria Acting Minister-President 17 October 1994 25 January 1995 100 days Head of government
Irena Degutienė  Lithuania Acting Minister-Chairwoman 4 May 1999 18 May 1999 14 days Head of government
27 October 1999 3 November 1999 7 days
Nyam-Osoryn Tuyaa  Mongolia Acting Prime Minister 22 July 1999 30 July 1999 8 days Head of government
Nino Burjanadze  Georgia Acting President 23 November 2003 25 January 2004 63 days Head of state
 Georgia 25 November 2007 20 January 2008 56 days
Barbara Prammer  Austria Co-Acting President 6 July 2004 8 July 2004 2 days Head of state
Radmila Šekerinska  North Macedonia Acting President of the Government 12 May 2004 12 June 2004 31 days Head of government
3 November 2004 15 December 2004 42 days
Dalia Itzik  Israel Acting President 25 January 2007 15 July 2007 171 days Head of state
Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri  South Africa Acting President 25 September 2008 14 hours[11][12] Head of state
and government
Rose Francine Rogombé  Gabon Acting President 10 June 2009 16 October 2009 128 days Head of state
Cécile Manorohanta  Madagascar Acting Prime Minister 18 December 2009 20 December 2009 2 days Head of government
Adiato Djaló Nandigna  Guinea-Bissau Acting Prime Minister 10 February 2012 12 April 2012 62 days Head of government
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau  Mauritius Acting President 31 March 2012 21 July 2012 112 days Head of state
29 May 2015 5 June 2015 7 days
Slavica Đukić Dejanović  Serbia Acting President 5 April 2012 31 May 2012 56 days Head of state
Julie Bishop  Australia Acting Prime Minister 20 December 2014 16 January 2015 27 days Deputy Prime Minister
Natalia Gherman  Moldova Acting Prime Minister 22 June 2015 30 July 2015 38 days Head of government
Vassiliki Thanou  Greece Acting President of the Government 27 August 2015 21 September 2015 25 days Head of government
Maya Parnas  Transnistria[h] Acting Chairwoman of the Government 13 October 2015 30 November 2015 48 days Head of government
2 December 2015 23 December 2015 21 days
Doris Bures  Austria Co-Acting President 8 July 2016 26 January 2017 202 days Head of state
Julie Bishop  Australia Acting Prime Minister 21 September 2018 23 October 2018 32 days Deputy Prime Minister
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh  Vietnam Acting President 21 September 2018 23 October 2018 32 days Head of state
Vjosa Osmani  Kosovo Acting President 5 November 2020 22 March 2021 137 days Head of state
Maya Tskitishvili  Georgia Acting Prime Minister 18 February 2021 22 February 2021 4 days Head of government
Võ Thị Ánh Xuân  Vietnam Acting President 18 January 2023 2 March 2023 43 days Head of state

Female members of collective head-of-state bodies

  Incumbent
Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate end Term length Head of state or government
Alexandra Kollontai  Soviet Russia Member of the Council of People's Commissars 26 October 1917 23 February 1918 120 days Member of the collective head of state
Nadezhda Krupskaya  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 12 December 1937 27 February 1939 1 year, 77 days Member of the collective head of state
Klavdiya Nikolayeva  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 12 December 1937 10 February 1946 8 years, 60 days Member of the collective head of state
Anna Pankratova  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 14 March 1954 25 May 1957 3 years, 41 days Member of the collective head of state
Yekaterina Furtseva  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 12 March 1950 18 April 1962 12 years, 6 days Member of the collective head of state
Alicja Musiałowa-Afanasjew  Poland Member of the Council of State 20 November 1952 24 June 1965 12 years, 216 days Member of the collective head of state
Yadgar Nasriddinova  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 24 March 1959 25 September 1970 11 years, 154 days Member of the collective head of state
Luise Ermisch  East Germany Member of the State Council 12 September 1960 13 November 1963 3 years, 62 days Member of the collective head of state
Irmgard Neumann  East Germany Member of the State Council 12 September 1960 13 November 1963 3 years, 62 days Member of the collective head of state
Tursunoy Akhunova  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 18 April 1962 16 June 1974 12 years, 59 days Member of the collective head of state
Lieselott Herforth  East Germany Member of the State Council 13 November 1963 25 June 1981 17 years, 224 days Member of the collective head of state
Else Merke  East Germany Member of the State Council 13 November 1963 26 November 1971 8 years, 13 days Member of the collective head of state
Brunhilde Hanke  East Germany Member of the State Council 19 November 1964 5 April 1990 25 years, 137 days Member of the collective head of state
Anni Neumann  East Germany Member of the State Council 19 November 1964 26 November 1971 7 years, 7 days Member of the collective head of state
Eugenia Krassowska-Jodłowska  Poland Member of the Council of State 24 June 1965 28 March 1972 6 years, 278 days Member of the collective head of state
Zoya Pukhova  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 12 June 1966 25 May 1989 22 years, 347 days Member of the collective head of state
Maria Schneider  East Germany Member of the State Council 13 July 1967 26 November 1971 4 years, 136 days Member of the collective head of state
Margarete Müller  East Germany Member of the State Council 26 November 1971 11 January 1990 18 years, 46 days Member of the collective head of state
Ilse Thiele  East Germany Member of the State Council 26 November 1971 11 January 1990 18 years, 46 days Member of the collective head of state
Rosel Walther  East Germany Member of the State Council 26 November 1971 5 April 1990 18 years, 130 days Member of the collective head of state
Halina Koźniewska  Poland Member of the Council of State 28 March 1972 2 April 1980 8 years, 5 days Member of the collective head of state
Valentina Tereshkova  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet June 1974 March or April 1989 c. 14 years Member of the collective head of state
Rimma Gavrilova  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 16 June 1974 4 March 1984 9 years, 293 days Member of the collective head of state
Kamshat Donenbaeva  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 16 June 1974 25 May 1989 14 years, 343 days Member of the collective head of state
Eugenia Kempara  Poland Member of the Council of State 18 December 1976 6 November 1985 8 years, 323 days Member of the collective head of state
Yekaterina Mukhina  Soviet Union Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 4 March 1979 4 March 1984 5 years, 0 days Member of the collective head of state
Violeta Chamorro  Nicaragua Member of the Junta of National Reconstruction 18 July 1979 19 April 1980 276 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Krystyna Marszałek-Młyńczyk  Poland Member of the Council of State 2 April 1980 23 March 1983 2 years, 355 days Member of the collective head of state
Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1981 1 October 1981 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Johanna Töpfer  East Germany Member of the State Council 25 June 1981 17 November 1989 8 years, 145 days Member of the collective head of state
Gloriana Ranocchini  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1984 1 October 1984 183 days Member of the collective head of state
1 October 1989 1 April 1990 182 days
Elisabeth Kopp   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 21 October 1984 12 January 1989 4 years, 83 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Elżbieta Gacek  Poland Member of the Council of State 6 November 1985 17 June 1988 2 years, 224 days Member of the collective head of state
Monika Werner  East Germany Member of the State Council 16 June 1986 5 April 1990 3 years, 293 days Member of the collective head of state
Eveline Klett  East Germany Member of the State Council 16 June 1986 5 April 1990 3 years, 293 days Member of the collective head of state
Edda Ceccoli  San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 1991 1 April 1992 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Biljana Plavšić Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb Member of the Presidency 1 March 1992 9 April 1992 39 days Member of the collective head of state
Tatjana Ljujić-Mijatović[13]  Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb Member of the Presidency 24 December 1992 5 October 1996 3 years, 286 days Member of the collective head of state
Ruth Dreifuss   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 April 1993 31 December 2002 9 years, 296 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Patrizia Busignani  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1993 1 October 1993 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Ruth Metzler   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 1999 31 December 2003 4 years, 364 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Rosa Zafferani  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1999 1 October 1999 183 days Member of the collective head of state
1 April 2008 1 October 2008 183 days
Maria Domenica Michelotti  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2000 1 October 2000 183 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Micheline Calmy-Rey   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2003 31 December 2011 8 years, 364 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Valeria Ciavatta  San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2003 1 April 2004 183 days Member of the collective head of state
1 April 2014 1 October 2014 183 days
Fausta Morganti  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2005 1 October 2005 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Doris Leuthard   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 August 2006 31 December 2018 12 years, 152 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2008 31 December 2015 7 years, 364 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Assunta Meloni  San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2008 1 April 2009 182 days Member of the collective head of state
Simonetta Sommaruga   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 November 2010 31 December 2022 12 years, 60 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Maria Luisa Berti  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2011 1 October 2011 183 days Member of the collective head of state
 San Marino 1 October 2022 1 April 2023 182 days
Denise Bronzetti  San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2012 1 April 2013 182 days Member of the collective head of state
Antonella Mularoni  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2013 1 October 2013 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Anna Maria Muccioli  San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2013 1 April 2014 182 days Member of the collective head of state
Lorella Stefanelli  San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2015 1 April 2016 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Mimma Zavoli  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2017 1 October 2017 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Vanessa D'Ambrosio  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2017 1 October 2017 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Karin Keller-Sutter   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2019 Incumbent 5 years, 200 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Viola Amherd   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2019 Incumbent 5 years, 200 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Aisha Musa el-Said[14]  Sudan Member of the Sovereignty Council 21 August 2019 21 May 2021[15] 1 year, 273 days Member of the collective head of state
Raja Nicola  Sudan Member of the Sovereignty Council 21 August 2019 Incumbent[16] 4 years, 333 days Member of the collective head of state
Mariella Mularoni  San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2019 1 April 2020 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Grazia Zafferani  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2020 1 October 2020 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Željka Cvijanović  Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb Member of the Presidency 16 November 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 246 days Member of the collective head of state
Élisabeth Baume-Schneider   Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 200 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Adele Tonnini  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2023 1 October 2023 183 days Member of the collective head of state

Female viceregal representatives

  Incumbent

Below are women who have been appointed representatives of heads of state, such as female governors-general and French representatives of Andorra. As governors-general are appointed representatives of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms (currently Charles III) and the French Representatives of Andorra are appointed representatives of the French Co-Prince of Andorra (currently Emmanuel Macron), they act as heads of state and carry out on a regular basis the functions and duties associated with such a role in the Commonwealth realms (excluding the United Kingdom, which has no governor-general, as the monarch of the Commonwealth realms primarily resides there) and Andorra, respectively.

Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Elmira Minita Gordon  Belize Governor-General 21 September 1981 17 November 1993 12 years, 57 days
Jeanne Sauvé  Canada Governor General 14 May 1984 29 January 1990 5 years, 260 days
Nita Barrow  Barbados Governor-General 6 June 1990 19 December 1995 5 years, 196 days
Catherine Tizard  New Zealand Governor-General 13 December 1990 21 March 1996 5 years, 99 days
Pearlette Louisy  Saint Lucia Governor-General 17 September 1997 31 December 2017 20 years, 105 days
Adrienne Clarkson  Canada Governor General 7 October 1999 27 September 2005 5 years, 324 days
Silvia Cartwright  New Zealand Governor-General 4 April 2001 4 August 2006 5 years, 122 days
Ivy Dumont  The Bahamas Governor-General 11 November 2001 30 November 2005 4 years, 19 days
Michaëlle Jean  Canada Governor General 27 September 2005 1 October 2010 5 years, 4 days
Emmanuelle Mignon  Andorra Representative of the French Co-Prince 6 June 2007 24 September 2008 1 year, 110 days
Louise Lake-Tack  Antigua and Barbuda Governor-General 17 July 2007 13 August 2014 7 years, 27 days
Quentin Bryce  Australia Governor-General 5 September 2008 28 March 2014 5 years, 204 days
Sylvie Hubac  Andorra Representative of the French Co-Prince 15 May 2012 5 January 2015 2 years, 235 days
Cécile La Grenade  Grenada Governor-General 7 May 2013 Incumbent 11 years, 73 days
Marguerite Pindling  The Bahamas Governor-General 8 July 2014 28 June 2019 4 years, 355 days
Patsy Reddy  New Zealand Governor-General 28 September 2016 28 September 2021 5 years, 0 days
Julie Payette  Canada Governor General 2 October 2017 21 January 2021 3 years, 111 days
Sandra Mason  Barbados Governor-General 8 January 2018 30 November 2021
(became inaugural president) 		3 years, 326 days
Susan Dougan  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Governor-General 1 August 2019 Incumbent 4 years, 353 days
Froyla Tzalam  Belize Governor-General 27 May 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 53 days
Mary Simon  Canada Governor General 26 July 2021 Incumbent 2 years, 359 days
Cindy Kiro  New Zealand Governor-General 21 October 2021 Incumbent 2 years, 272 days
Marcella Liburd  Saint Kitts and Nevis Governor-General 1 February 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 169 days
Cynthia A. Pratt  The Bahamas Governor-General 1 September 2023 Incumbent 322 days

Acting female viceregal representatives

This list includes women appointed as viceregal representatives in an acting capacity, wherein they assumed a vacated office on a temporary basis.

  Incumbent
Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Sian Elias  New Zealand Administrator of the Government
(Acting Governor-General) 		22 March 2001 4 April 2001 13 days
4 August 2006 23 August 2006 19 days
23 August 2011 31 August 2011 8 days
31 August 2016 28 September 2016 28 days
Monica Dacon  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Acting Governor-General 3 June 2002 2 September 2002 91 days
Sandra Mason  Barbados Acting Governor-General 30 May 2012 1 June 2012 2 days
Teniku Talesi Honolulu  Tuvalu Acting Governor-General 22 August 2019 15 January 2021 1 year, 146 days
Helen Winkelmann  New Zealand Administrator of the Government
(Acting Governor-General) 		28 September 2021 21 October 2021 23 days

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Does not include those serving in acting capacities
  2. ^ a b Map does not include the former states of East Germany, the Soviet Union, Tannu Tuva, Transkei, or Yugoslavia, or the partially recognized states of Kosovo, Northern Cyprus, or Transnistria
  3. ^ Does not include those in countries with a monarchial head of state and no vice-regal representative
  4. ^ a b Includes appointed female vice-regal representatives, and does not include monarchial female heads of state
  5. ^ As of 2023, there are two female monarchs of sovereign states, Margrethe II of Denmark and Ntfombi of Eswatini (as Queen Mother and co-head of state with her son, King Mswati III).
  6. ^ Tannu Tuva was a partially recognized state which existed between 1921 and 1944. Only the Soviet Union and Mongolia recognized its independence, and it was later absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1944.
  7. ^ Transkei was a partially recognized state which existed between 1976 and 1994. The only United Nations member state that recognized its independence was South Africa, and it was later reabsorbed into South Africa in 1994.
  8. ^ a b Transnistria is an unrecognized state which declared its independence in 1990. It does not have any international recognition as an independent nation by United Nations member states, and is considered by the international community to be part of the Republic of Moldova.
  9. ^ Northern Cyprus is a partially recognized de facto state. Only Turkey recognizes its independence, while the remainder of the international community considers it to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.
  10. ^ The political status of Taiwan is contentious. The Republic of China (Taiwan) maintains diplomatic relations with 13 United Nations member states, and has unofficial relations with 59 UN member states. The People's Republic of China conducts most international relations on behalf of China.
  11. ^ Constitution of Gabon[9]

    Title II: The Executive Power, I. Of the President of the Republic, Article 8
    • The President of the Republic is the Chief of State; he or she ensures respect of the Constitution; the President assures, by his or her determination, the regular function of public powers as well as the continuity of the State.
    • The President determines, in concert with the Government, the policies of the Nation.
    • The President is the supreme bearer of executive power, which he or she shares with the Prime Minister.
    Title II: The Executive Power, II. Of the Government, Articles 29 and 31
    • The Prime Minister directs the actions of the Government. He or she assures the execution of the laws. According to the conditions of Article 20 mentioned above, the Prime Minister exercises regulatory power and nominates civil and military posts of the State.
    • The Government is composed of the Prime Minister and other members of Government.
    • The Prime Minister is the Chief of Government.
  12. ^ Constitution of Togo[10]

    Article 78
    • The Prime Minister is the head of the Government. He directs the action of the Government and coordinates the functions of the other members. He presides over the Committees of Defense.
    • Before his entry into office, the Prime Minister presents before the National Assembly the program of action of his Government.
    • The National Assembly accords its confidence to him by a vote with the absolute majority of its members.

References

  1. ^ "Khertek Anchimaa Toka: the world's first female head of state". The Times. 2 December 2008. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d "6 of the First Women Heads of State". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  3. ^ "From the archive, 22 July 1960: Sri Lanka elects world's first woman prime minister". From the Guardian archive. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  4. ^ Cords, Suzanne (4 February 2021). "Isabel Peron turns 90". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  5. ^ Einarsdóttir, Gréta Sigríður (15 April 2020). "Vigdís Finnbogadóttir's 90th Birthday". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  6. ^ Burns, John F. (28 December 2007). "Benazir Bhutto, 54, Who Weathered Pakistan's Political Storm for 3 Decades, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  7. ^ Khan, M Ilyas (21 June 2018). "Ardern and Bhutto: Two different pregnancies in power". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Survey: Sheikh Hasina tops as longest serving female leader in world". Dhaka Tribune. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Gabon's Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2011" (PDF). constituteproject.org. 2011.
  10. ^ "Togo's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2007" (PDF). constituteproject.org. 2007.
  11. ^ "No wars, no drama for Matsepe-Casaburri". IOL News. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  12. ^ Chikane, Frank (28 April 2012). "Emotional farewell as Mbeki holds last cabinet meeting". Daily Nation. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Institucije BiH u periodu 1992-1996: Ko su bili članovi Predsjedništva, premijeri i ministri RBiH". Faktor.ba (in Bosnian). 22 May 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  14. ^ "FFC finally agree on nominees for Sudan's Sovereign Council". Sudan Tribune. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Woman on Sudan's ruling council quits, saying civilians are being ignored". Reuters. 22 May 2021.
  16. ^ The council was briefly dissolved from October to November 2021 as a result of the 2021 Sudan coup d'état. Nicola was restored to her position after the council was reconstituted in November. Source: "Sudan coup leader restores restructured Sovereignty Council". Radio Dabanga. Khartoum. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
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