President’s Day: Looking Beyond the United States
– whitehouse.gov, Mrs. Laura Bush listens to Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
It is no secret that the United States has yet to elect a woman as president. This President’s Day, let us then appreciate the powerful women heads of state around the world, and remember those who came before them. Each with their strengths and faults, their unique stories and passions, they remind us of the possibilities of a nation and world in which individuals of all genders are given the opportunity to lead. In no particular order:
- Queen Elizabeth II – United Kingdom and the Commonwealth
- Queen Margrethe II – Denmark
- Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca – President, Malta
- Bidhya Devi Bhandari – President, Nepal
- Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – Chairperson of the African Union
- Park Geun-hye – President, South Korea
- Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović – President, Croatia
- Dalia Grybauskaitė – President, Lithuania
- Ameenah Gurib-Fakim – President, Mauritius
- Sheikh Hasina Wajed – Prime Minister, Bangladesh
- Hilda Heine – President, Marshall Islands
- Tsai Ing-wen – President, Taiwan
- Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf – President, Liberia
- Kersti Kaljulaid – President, Estonia
- Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila – Prime Minister, Namibia
- Cécile La Grenade – Governor-General, Grenada
- Theresa May – Prime Minister, United Kingdom
- Angela Merkel – Chancellor, Germany
- Doris Leuthard – President, Swiss Confederation
- Pearlette Louisy – Governor-General, St. Lucia
- Marguerite Pindling – Governor-General, The Bahamas
- Patsy Reddy – Governor-General, New Zealand
- Aung San Suu Kyi – State Counsellor, Myanmar
- Erna Solberg – Prime Minister, Norway
- Beata Szydło – Prime Minister, Poland
May many more follow.
