List of elected and appointed female heads of state
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This is a list of women who have been elected or appointed head of state of their respective countries since the mid 20th century. The list does not include female monarchs, nor does it include female heads of government who are not concurrently head of state, such as prime ministers.
Below the main list are separately listed female governors-general and French representatives of Andorra. As governors-general are appointed representatives of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms (currently Elizabeth II) and the French Representatives of Andorra are appointed representatives of the French Co-Prince of Andorra (currently François Hollande), 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.
To date, the country with most female Heads of State is San Marino (17, including three who served twice).
Contents
List of female heads of state
- Italics denotes an acting head of state and states that are either de facto (with limited to no international recognition) or defunct.
Name | Image | Country | Office | Mandate start | Mandate end | Term length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Khertek Anchimaa-Toka | 23x15px Tannu Tuva | Chairperson of the Presidium of the Little Khural | 6 April 1940 | 11 October 1944 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Sükhbaataryn Yanjmaa | Mongolia | Acting Chairperson of the Presidium of the State Great Khural | 7 September 1953 | 7 July 1954 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Soong Ching-ling | 80px | China | Acting Co-Chairperson | 31 October 1968 | 24 April 1972 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. |
Isabel Martínez de Perón | Argentina | President | 1 July 1974 | 24 March 1976 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Lidia Gueiler Tejada | 80px | Bolivia | Acting President | 16 November 1979 | 17 July 1980 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. |
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir | 80px | Iceland | President | 1 August 1980 | 1 August 1996 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. |
Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 1981 | 1 October 1981 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Soong Ching-ling | 80px | China | Honorary President | 16 May 1981 | 28 May 1981 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. |
Agatha Barbara | Malta | President | 15 February 1982 | 15 February 1987 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Gloriana Ranocchini | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 1984 | 1 October 1984 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Carmen Pereira | Guinea-Bissau | Acting President of Guinea-Bissau | 14 May 1984 | 16 May 1984 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Elisabeth Kopp | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 21 October 1984 | 12 January 1989 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Corazon Aquino | Philippines | President | 25 February 1986 | 30 June 1992 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Gloriana Ranocchini | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 October 1989 | 1 April 1990 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot | Haiti | Acting President | 13 March 1990 | 7 February 1991 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl | East Germany | President of the People's Chamber | 5 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Violeta Chamorro | Nicaragua | President | 25 April 1990 | 10 January 1997 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Mary Robinson | Ireland | President | 3 December 1990 | 12 September 1997 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Edda Ceccoli | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 October 1991 | 1 April 1992 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Ruth Dreifuss | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 April 1993 | 31 December 2002 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Patrizia Busignani | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 1993 | 1 October 1993 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Sylvie Kinigi | Burundi | Acting President | 27 October 1993 | 5 February 1994 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Chandrika Kumaratunga | Sri Lanka | President | 12 November 1994 | 19 November 2005 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Ruth Perry | Liberia | Chairperson of the Council of State | 3 September 1996 | 2 August 1997 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Rosalía Arteaga Serrano | Ecuador | Acting President | 9 February 1997 | 11 February 1997 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Mary McAleese | Ireland | President | 11 November 1997 | 10 November 2011 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Janet Jagan | Guyana | President | 19 December 1997 | 11 August 1999 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Ruth Metzler-Arnold | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 1999 | 31 December 2003 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Rosa Zafferani | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 1999 | 1 October 1999 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga | Latvia | President | 8 July 1999 | 8 July 2007 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Mireya Moscoso | Panama | President | 1 September 1999 | 1 September 2004 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Tarja Halonen | Finland | President | 1 March 2000 | 1 March 2012 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Maria Domenica Michelotti | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 2000 | 1 October 2000 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo | Philippines | President | 20 January 2001 | 30 June 2010 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Megawati Sukarnoputri | Indonesia | President | 23 July 2001 | 20 October 2004 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Nataša Mićić | Serbia | Acting President | 29 December 2002 | 27 January 2004 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Micheline Calmy-Rey | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2003 | 31 December 2011 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Valeria Ciavatta | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 October 2003 | 1 April 2004 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Nino Burjanadze | Georgia | Acting President | 23 November 2003 | 25 January 2004 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Barbara Prammer | Austria | Acting President | 6 July 2004 | 8 July 2004 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Fausta Morganti | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 2005 | 1 October 2005 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | Liberia | President | 16 January 2006 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Michelle Bachelet | Chile | President | 11 March 2006 | 11 March 2010 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Doris Leuthard | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 August 2006 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dalia Itzik | Israel | Acting President | 25 January 2007 | 15 July 2007 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Pratibha Patil | India | President | 25 July 2007 | 25 July 2012 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Nino Burjanadze | Georgia | Acting President | 25 November 2007 | 20 January 2008 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner | Argentina | President | 10 December 2007 | 10 December 2015 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2008 | 31 December 2015 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Rosa Zafferani | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 2008 | 1 October 2008 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Assunta Meloni | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 October 2008 | 1 April 2009 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Rose Francine Rogombé | Gabon | Acting President | 10 June 2009 | 16 October 2009 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dalia Grybauskaitė | Lithuania | President | 12 July 2009 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Roza Otunbayeva | Kyrgyzstan | President | 7 April 2010 | 1 December 2011 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Laura Chinchilla | Costa Rica | President | 8 May 2010 | 8 May 2014 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Simonetta Sommaruga | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 November 2010 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dilma Rousseff | Brazil | President | 1 January 2011 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Maria Luisa Berti | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 2011 | 1 October 2011 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Atifete Jahjaga | Kosovo | President | 7 April 2011 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau | Mauritius | Acting President | 31 March 2012 | 21 July 2012 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Slavica Đukić Dejanović | Serbia | Acting President | 5 April 2012 | 31 May 2012 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Joyce Banda | Malawi | President | 7 April 2012 | 31 May 2014 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Denise Bronzetti | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 October 2012 | 1 April 2013 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Park Geun-hye | South Korea | President | 25 February 2013 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Antonella Mularoni | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 2013 | 1 October 2013 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Anna Maria Muccioli | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 October 2013 | 1 April 2014 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Catherine Samba-Panza | 80px | Central African Republic | Acting President | 23 January 2014 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. |
Michelle Bachelet | Chile | President | 11 March 2014 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Valeria Ciavatta | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 April 2014 | 1 October 2014 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Marie Louise Coleiro Preca | Malta | President | 4 April 2014 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović | Croatia | President | 19 February 2015 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau | Mauritius | Acting President | 29 May 2015 | 5 June 2015 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Ameenah Gurib | Mauritius | President | 5 June 2015 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Lorella Stefanelli | San Marino | Captain Regent | 1 October 2015 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Bidhya Devi Bhandari | Nepal | President | 29 October 2015 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. |
List of female representatives of heads of state
- Italics denotes acting representative of head of state
Name | Image | Country | Office | Mandate start | Mandate end | Term length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dame Elmira Minita Gordon | Belize | Governor-General | 21 September 1981 | 17 November 1993 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Jeanne Sauvé | Canada | Governor General | 14 May 1984 | 29 January 1990 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Nita Barrow | Barbados | Governor-General | 6 June 1990 | 19 December 1995 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Catherine Tizard | New Zealand | Governor-General | 13 December 1990 | 21 March 1996 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Pearlette Louisy | Saint Lucia | Governor-General | 17 September 1997 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Adrienne Clarkson | Canada | Governor General | 7 October 1999 | 27 September 2005 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Sian Elias | New Zealand | Administrator of the Government (Acting Governor-General) | 22 March 2001 | 4 April 2001 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Silvia Cartwright | New Zealand | Governor-General | 4 April 2001 | 4 August 2006 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Ivy Dumont | The Bahamas | Governor-General | 11 November 2001 | 30 November 2005 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Monica Dacon | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Acting Governor-General | 3 June 2002 | 2 September 2002 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Michaëlle Jean | Canada | Governor General | 27 September 2005 | 1 October 2010 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Sian Elias | New Zealand | Administrator of the Government (Acting Governor-General) | 4 August 2006 | 23 August 2006 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Emmanuelle Mignon | Andorra | Representative of the French Co-Prince | 6 June 2007 | 24 September 2008 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Louise Lake-Tack | Antigua and Barbuda | Governor-General | 17 July 2007 | 13 August 2014 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Quentin Bryce | Australia | Governor-General | 5 September 2008 | 28 March 2014 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Sian Elias | New Zealand | Administrator of the Government (Acting Governor-General) | 23 August 2011 | 31 August 2011 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Sylvie Hubac | Andorra | Representative of the French Co-Prince | 15 May 2012 | 5 January 2015 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Sandra Mason | Barbados | Acting Governor-General | 30 May 2012 | 1 June 2012 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Cécile La Grenade | Grenada | Governor-General | 7 May 2013 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | |
Dame Marguerite Pindling | The Bahamas | Governor-General | 8 July 2014 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. |
See also
- Council of Women World Leaders
- List of elected or appointed female deputy heads of state
- List of elected or appointed female heads of government
- List of female dependent territory leaders
- List of female speakers of national and territorial lower houses
- List of female speakers of national and territorial unicameral parliaments
- List of female speakers of national and territorial upper houses
- List of the first female holders of political offices
- List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office
- List of vicereines in Canada
References
- ↑ including female representatives of heads of state, such as Governors-General and French Representatives of Andorra
External links
- List of Current Women Heads of State
- Women Heads of State
- Women Presidents and Women Governors-General (Zárate's Political Collections)
- Council of Women World Leaders
- Female Presidents