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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.

Map showing countries which currently have women as heads of state or government, counting governors-general but not monarchs.
Map showing countries which since independence have had women as heads of state or government. (Constituent countries of the Netherlands are counted.)
  Female head of government
  Female head of state
  Female head of state/government (combined)[a]
  Female head of state and female head of government
  Female prime minister/state counselor acting as deputy to the combined head of state and government (de facto leader)

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 any presidents of the United States, nor Queens regnant who are heads of state (but not of government).[b]

Khertek Anchimaa-Toka, of the mostly unrecognized and now defunct Tuvan People's Republic, is regarded as the "first ever elected woman head of state in the world", although not in multiparty, free and fair elections. The wife of the nation's Supreme Leader, she is the first woman to be elected Chairman of a country. She became the chairwoman of the country's presidium in 1940.[1][2]

The first woman to be 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 is Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. She served as the country's prime minister from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 until August 2024, for a combined total of over 20 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 and Sri Lanka (post-1978) 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. Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Peru, and Tanzania are republics where the female President is the combined head of state and government.

Elected or appointed female chief executives

[edit]

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[c] 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[a 1] 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 Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 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[d] 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 Prime Minister 11 March 1990 10 January 1991 299 days Head of government[a 2] 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 20 March 1991 30 March 1996 5 years, 10 days Head of government Executive
10 October 2001 29 October 2006 5 years, 19 days
Édith Cresson
 France Prime Minister 15 May 1991 2 April 1992 323 days Head of government
Hanna Suchocka
 Poland Prime Minister 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
 Haiti Prime Minister 7 November 1995 27 February 1996 112 days Head of government
Sheikh Hasina
 Bangladesh Prime Minister 23 June 1996 15 July 2001 5 years, 22 days Head of government Executive
6 January 2009 5 August 2024 15 years, 212 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 9 February 1997 11 February 1997 2 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 Prime Minister 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 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 Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 20 March 2013 18 September 2014 1 year, 182 days Head of government Executive
Tatiana Turanskaya
 Transnistria[e] Prime Minister 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[f] 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 Prime Minister 16 October 2013 14 October 2021 7 years, 363 days Head of government Executive
Laimdota Straujuma
 Latvia Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 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 Prime Minister 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
3 January 2024 Incumbent 329 days
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 President 20 May 2016 20 May 2024 8 years, 0 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 Prime Minister 29 June 2017 20 March 2024 6 years, 265 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 9 April 2024 6 years, 131 days Head of government Executive
Viorica Dăncilă
 Romania Prime Minister 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, 186 days Head of government Executive
Sahle-Work Zewde
 Ethiopia President 25 October 2018 7 October 2024 5 years, 348 days Head of state
Salome Zourabichvili
 Georgia President 16 December 2018 Incumbent 5 years, 347 days Head of state
Brigitte Bierlein
 Austria 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, 339 days Head of state
Zuzana Čaputová
 Slovakia President 15 June 2019 15 June 2024 5 years, 0 days Head of state
Mette Frederiksen
 Denmark Prime Minister 27 June 2019 Incumbent 5 years, 153 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, 259 days Head of state
Rose Christiane Raponda
 Gabon Prime Minister 16 July 2020 9 January 2023 2 years, 177 days Head of government
Victoire Tomegah Dogbé
 Togo Prime Minister 28 September 2020 Incumbent 4 years, 60 days Head of government
Ingrida Šimonytė
 Lithuania Prime Minister 11 December 2020 Incumbent 3 years, 352 days Head of government Executive
Kaja Kallas
 Estonia Prime Minister 26 January 2021 23 July 2024 3 years, 179 days Head of government Executive
Samia Suluhu Hassan
 Tanzania President 19 March 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 253 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Vjosa Osmani
 Kosovo President 4 April 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 237 days Head of state
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
 Samoa Prime Minister 24 May 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 187 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, 363 days Head of state
Magdalena Andersson
 Sweden Prime Minister 30 November 2021 18 October 2022 322 days Head of government Executive
Xiomara Castro
 Honduras President 27 January 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 305 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Katalin Novák
 Hungary President 10 May 2022 26 February 2024 1 year, 292 days Head of state
Élisabeth Borne
 France Prime Minister 16 May 2022 9 January 2024 1 year, 238 days Head of government
Droupadi Murmu
 India President 25 July 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 125 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 2 years, 36 days Head of government Executive
Dina Boluarte
 Peru President 7 December 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 356 days Head of state
and government 		Executive
Nataša Pirc Musar
 Slovenia President 23 December 2022 Incumbent 1 year, 340 days Head of state
Borjana Krišto
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers 25 January 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 307 days Head of government
Christine Kangaloo
 Trinidad and Tobago President 20 March 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 252 days Head of state
Evika Siliņa
 Latvia Prime Minister 15 September 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 73 days Head of government Executive
Sylvanie Burton
 Dominica President 2 October 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 56 days Head of state
Myriam Spiteri Debono
 Malta President 4 April 2024 Incumbent 237 days Head of state
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
 North Macedonia President 12 May 2024 Incumbent 199 days Head of state
Judith Suminwa
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Prime Minister 12 June 2024 Incumbent 168 days Head of government
Halla Tómasdóttir
 Iceland President 1 August 2024 Incumbent 118 days Head of state
Paetongtarn Shinawatra
 Thailand Prime Minister 16 August 2024 Incumbent 103 days Head of government Executive
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo
 Mexico President 1 October 2024 Incumbent 57 days Head of state
and government 		Executive

Notes:

  1. ^ Since 1978, Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka are no longer heads of government.
  2. ^ Since 1978, Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka are no longer heads of government.
  Incumbent

Elected or appointed acting female chief executives

[edit]

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

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 Prime Minister 17 October 1994 25 January 1995 100 days Head of government
Irena Degutienė
 Lithuania Acting Prime Minister 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
 Macedonia Acting Prime Minister 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 2005 14 hours[9][10] 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 Prime Minister 27 August 2015 21 September 2015 25 days Head of government
Maya Parnas
 Transnistria[e] Acting Prime Minister 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 of the National Council 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
21 March 2024 22 May 2024 62 days
Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara
 El Salvador Acting President 1 December 2023 1 June 2024 183 days Head of state

Female members of collective head-of-state bodies

[edit]
  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[11]
 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, 331 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, 331 days Member of the collective head of state and government
Aisha Musa el-Said[12]
 Sudan Member of the Sovereignty Council 21 August 2019 21 May 2021[13] 1 year, 273 days Member of the collective head of state
Raja Nicola
 Sudan Member of the Sovereignty Council 21 August 2019 Incumbent[14] 5 years, 98 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 2 years, 11 days Member of the collective head of state
Élisabeth Baume-Schneider
  Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 331 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
Milena Gasperoni
 San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2024 1 October 2024 183 days Member of the collective head of state
Francesca Civerchia
 San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2024 Incumbent 57 days Member of the collective head of state

Female viceregal representatives

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  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, 204 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 5 years, 118 days
Froyla Tzalam
 Belize Governor-General 27 May 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 184 days
Mary Simon
 Canada Governor General 26 July 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 124 days
Cindy Kiro
 New Zealand Governor-General 21 October 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 37 days
Marcella Liburd
 Saint Kitts and Nevis Governor-General 1 February 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 300 days
Cynthia A. Pratt
File:Governor-General Cynthia A. Pratt Official Portrait.jpg
  The Bahamas Governor-General 1 September 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 87 days
Sam Mostyn
Sam_Mostyn.jpg
Sam_Mostyn.jpg
  Australia Governor-General 1 July 2024 Incumbent 18 days

Acting female viceregal representatives

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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

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Notes

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  1. ^ Heads of government of constitutional monarchies without a vice-regal representative are included.
  2. ^ As of 2024, there is one female monarch of a sovereign state, Ntfombi of Eswatini (as Queen Mother and co-head of state with her son, King Mswati III).
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.

References

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  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. ^ "No wars, no drama for Matsepe-Casaburri". IOL News. 26 September 2005. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  10. ^ Chikane, Frank (28 April 2012). "Emotional farewell as Mbeki holds last cabinet meeting". Daily Nation. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Woman on Sudan's ruling council quits, saying civilians are being ignored". Reuters. 22 May 2021.
  14. ^ 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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