Wikipedia
List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government
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]
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] |
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".[1] She became the chairwoman of the country's presidium in 1940.[1]
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.[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.[1]
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, to become the longest-serving non-hereditary female head of state in history (16 years and 0 days in office).[1]
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 democratically elected leader of any Muslim nation. Bhutto was also the first of only two non-hereditary female leaders of the world who gave birth to a child while serving in office, the other one being Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.
The longest serving female non-hereditary head of government and longest serving female leader of a country is Sheikh Hasina. She is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh, having served for a combined total of over 19 years. As of 3 March 2023, she is the world's longest serving elected female head of government.[3][4][5]
The prime ministers of 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, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only republics in the world where both serving heads of state and heads of government are females.
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.
| 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 | 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, 0 days | 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[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 | Prime Minister | 17 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 | 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 | 27 October 1993 | 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 | 12 June 1996 | 15 July 2001 | 5 years, 33 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| 6 January 2009 | Incumbent | 14 years, 56 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, 0 days | Head of state | ||
| Mireya Moscoso | Panama | President | 1 September 1999 | 1 September 2004 | 5 years, 0 days | 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, 0 days | 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, 0 days | Head of state and government | Executive | |
| 11 March 2014 | 11 March 2018 | 4 years, 0 days | ||||||
| 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, 0 days | Head of state | ||
| Cristina Fernández de Kirchner | Argentina | President | 10 December 2007 | 9 December 2015 | 7 years, 364 days | 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, 0 days | 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, 0 days | 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, 0 days | 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, 132 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[h] | President | 7 April 2011 | 7 April 2016 | 5 years, 0 days | Head of state | ||
| Yingluck Shinawatra | Thailand | Prime Minister | 3 July 2011 | 7 May 2014 | 2 years, 308 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[i] | 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[j] | 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, 0 days | 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 | Incumbent | 7 years, 125 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 | |
| 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[k] | President | 20 May 2016 | Incumbent | 6 years, 287 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 | Incumbent | 5 years, 247 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| Halimah Yacob | Singapore | President | 14 September 2017 | Incumbent | 5 years, 170 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 | 5 years, 93 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 | Incumbent | 4 years, 349 days | Head of state | ||
| Mia Mottley | Barbados | Prime Minister | 25 May 2018 | Incumbent | 4 years, 282 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| Sahle-Work Zewde | Ethiopia | President | 25 October 2018 | Incumbent | 4 years, 129 days | Head of state | ||
| Salome Zourabichvili | Georgia | President | 16 December 2018 | Incumbent | 4 years, 77 days | Head of state | ||
| Brigitte Bierlein | Austria | Chancellor (Interim) | 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 | 2 years, 69 days | Head of state | ||||
| Zuzana Čaputová | Slovakia | President | 15 June 2019 | Incumbent | 3 years, 261 days | Head of state | ||
| Mette Frederiksen | Denmark | Prime Minister | 27 June 2019 | Incumbent | 3 years, 249 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 | Incumbent | 3 years, 83 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| Katerina Sakellaropoulou | Greece | President | 13 March 2020 | Incumbent | 2 years, 355 days | Head of state | ||
| Rose Christiane Raponda | Gabon | Prime Minister | 16 July 2020 | 9 January 2023 | 2 years, 177 days | Head of government | Executive[l] | |
| Victoire Tomegah Dogbé | Togo | Prime Minister | 28 September 2020 | Incumbent | 2 years, 156 days | Head of government | Executive[m] | |
| Ingrida Šimonytė | Lithuania | Prime Minister | 11 December 2020 | Incumbent | 2 years, 82 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| Kaja Kallas | Estonia | Prime Minister | 26 January 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 36 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| Samia Suluhu Hassan | Tanzania | President | 19 March 2021 | Incumbent | 1 year, 349 days | Head of state and government | Executive | |
| Vjosa Osmani | Kosovo[h] | President | 4 April 2021 | Incumbent | 1 year, 333 days | Head of state | ||
| Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa | Samoa | Prime Minister | 24 May 2021 | Incumbent | 1 year, 283 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 | Incumbent | 1 year, 143 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| Sandra Mason | Barbados | President | 30 November 2021 | Incumbent | 1 year, 93 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 | 1 year, 35 days | Head of state and government | Executive | |
| Katalin Novák | Hungary | President | 10 May 2022 | Incumbent | 297 days | Head of state | ||
| Élisabeth Borne | France | Prime Minister | 16 May 2022 | Incumbent | 291 days | Head of government | ||
| Droupadi Murmu | India | President | 25 July 2022 | Incumbent | 221 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 | 132 days | Head of government | Executive | |
| Dina Boluarte | Peru | President | 7 December 2022 | Incumbent | 86 days | Head of state and government | Executive | |
| Nataša Pirc Musar | Slovenia | President | 22 December 2022 | Incumbent | 71 days | Head of state | ||
| Borjana Krišto | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers | 25 January 2023 | Incumbent | 37 days | Head of government | ||
| Christine Kangaloo | Trinidad and Tobago | President | 21 March 2023 | President-elect | −18 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.
| 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 | North 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 2008 | 14 hours[8][9] | 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 | |
| Florence Duperval Guillaume | Haiti | Acting Prime Minister | 20 December 2014 | 16 January 2015 | 27 days | Head of government | |
| 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[i] | 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 | 8 July 2016 | 26 January 2017 | 202 days | Head of state | |
| Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh | Vietnam | Acting President | 21 September 2018 | 23 October 2018 | 32 days | Head of state | |
| Vjosa Osmani | Kosovo[h] | 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
| 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 | 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[10] | 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 | Incumbent | 153 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 | 4 years, 61 days | Member of the collective head of state and government | |
| Viola Amherd | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2019 | Incumbent | 4 years, 61 days | Member of the collective head of state and government | |
| Aisha Musa el-Said[11] | Sudan | Member of the Sovereignty Council | 21 August 2019 | 21 May 2021[12] | 1 year, 273 days | Member of the collective head of state | |
| Raja Nicola[11] | Sudan | Member of the Sovereignty Council | 21 August 2019 | 25 October 2021[13] | 2 years, 65 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 | 107 days | Member of the collective head of state | |
| Élisabeth Baume-Schneider | Switzerland | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2023 | Incumbent | 61 days | Member of the collective head of state and government |
Female viceregal representatives
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 | list, elected, appointed, female, heads, state, government, this, article, about, female, leaders, independent, states, constituent, dependent, territories, list, female, constituent, dependent, territory, leaders, following, list, women, have, been, elected, . This article is about female leaders of independent states For constituent and dependent territories see List of female constituent and dependent territory leaders 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 Elected and appointed female heads of state and governmentAll countries which currently have a woman serving as an elected or appointed head of state or government as of 16 February 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 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 1 She became the chairwoman of the country s presidium in 1940 1 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 2 The first woman to serve as president of a country was Isabel Peron of Argentina who served as the country s vice president and succeeded to the presidency in July 1974 upon the death of her husband 1 The first woman elected president of a country was Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland who won the 1980 presidential election as well as three subsequent elections to become the longest serving non hereditary female head of state in history 16 years and 0 days in office 1 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 democratically elected leader of any Muslim nation Bhutto was also the first of only two non hereditary female leaders of the world who gave birth to a child while serving in office the other one being Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand The longest serving female non hereditary head of government and longest serving female leader of a country is Sheikh Hasina She is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh having served for a combined total of over 19 years As of 3 March 2023 she is the world s longest serving elected female head of government 3 4 5 The prime ministers of 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 and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only republics in the world where both serving heads of state and heads of government are females Contents 1 Elected or appointed female chief executives 1 1 Elected or appointed acting female chief executives 2 Female members of collective head of state bodies 3 Female viceregal representatives 3 1 Acting female viceregal representatives 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksElected or appointed female chief executives EditThis 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 Incumbent Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandateend Term length Head of stateor government Executiveor non executiveKhertek Anchimaa Toka Tannu Tuva f Chairwoman of the Presidiumof the Little Khural 6 April 1940 11 October 1944 4 years 188 days Head of stateSirimavo Bandaranaike Ceylon Sri Lanka Prime Minister 21 July 1960 27 March 1965 4 years 249 days Head of government Executive29 May 1970 23 July 1977 7 years 55 days14 November 1994 9 August 2000 5 years 269 daysIndira Gandhi India Prime Minister 24 January 1966 24 April 1977 11 years 90 days Head of government Executive15 January 1980 31 October 1984 assassinated 4 years 290 daysGolda Meir Israel Prime Minister 17 March 1969 3 June 1974 5 years 78 days Head of government ExecutiveIsabel Peron Argentina President 1 July 1974 24 March 1976 1 year 267 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveElisabeth Domitien Central African Republic Prime Minister 2 January 1975 7 April 1976 1 year 96 days Head of governmentMargaret Thatcher United Kingdom Prime Minister 4 May 1979 28 November 1990 11 years 208 days Head of government ExecutiveMaria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Portugal Prime Minister 1 August 1979 3 January 1980 155 days Head of government ExecutiveLidia Gueiler Tejada Bolivia President 16 November 1979 17 July 1980 244 days Head of state ExecutiveEugenia Charles Dominica Prime Minister 21 July 1980 14 June 1995 14 years 328 days Head of government ExecutiveVigdis Finnbogadottir Iceland President 1 August 1980 1 August 1996 16 years 0 days Head of stateGro Harlem Brundtland Norway Prime Minister 4 February 1981 14 October 1981 252 days Head of government Executive9 May 1986 16 October 1989 3 years 160 days3 November 1990 25 October 1996 5 years 357 daysSoong Ching ling China Honorary President 16 May 1981 28 May 1981 12 days Head of stateAgatha Barbara Malta President 15 February 1982 15 February 1987 5 years 0 days Head of stateMilka Planinc Yugoslavia Prime Minister 16 May 1982 15 May 1986 3 years 364 days Head of government ExecutiveCorazon Aquino Philippines President 25 February 1986 30 June 1992 6 years 126 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveStella Sigcau Transkei g Prime Minister 5 October 1987 30 December 1987 86 days Head of government ExecutiveBenazir Bhutto Pakistan Prime Minister 2 December 1988 6 July 1990 1 year 216 days Head of government Executive19 October 1993 5 November 1996 3 years 17 daysErtha Pascal Trouillot Haiti President 13 March 1990 7 February 1991 331 days Head of stateKazimira Prunskiene Lithuania Prime Minister 17 March 1990 10 January 1991 299 days Head of government ExecutiveSabine Bergmann Pohl East Germany President of the People s Chamber 5 April 1990 2 October 1990 180 days Head of stateVioleta Chamorro Nicaragua President 25 April 1990 10 January 1997 6 years 260 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveMary Robinson Ireland President 3 December 1990 12 September 1997 6 years 283 days Head of stateKhaleda Zia Bangladesh Prime Minister 27 February 1991 30 March 1996 5 years 32 days Head of government Executive1 October 2001 29 October 2006 5 years 28 daysEdith Cresson France Prime Minister 15 May 1991 2 April 1992 323 days Head of governmentHanna Suchocka Poland Prime Minister 11 July 1992 25 October 1993 1 year 106 days Head of governmentTansu Ciller Turkey Prime Minister 13 June 1993 6 March 1996 2 years 267 days Head of governmentKim Campbell Canada Prime Minister 25 June 1993 4 November 1993 132 days Head of government ExecutiveSylvie Kinigi Burundi Prime Minister 10 July 1993 27 October 1993 109 days Head of governmentAgathe Uwilingiyimana Rwanda Prime Minister 18 July 1993 7 April 1994 assassinated 263 days Head of governmentChandrika Kumaratunga Sri Lanka President 12 November 1994 19 November 2005 11 years 7 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveClaudette Werleigh Haiti Prime Minister 7 November 1995 27 February 1996 112 days Head of governmentSheikh Hasina Bangladesh Prime Minister 12 June 1996 15 July 2001 5 years 33 days Head of government Executive6 January 2009 Incumbent 14 years 56 daysRuth Perry Liberia Chairwoman of the Council of State 3 September 1996 2 August 1997 333 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveRosalia Arteaga Ecuador President 9 February 1997 11 February 1997 2 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveMary McAleese Ireland President 11 November 1997 10 November 2011 13 years 364 days Head of stateJenny Shipley New Zealand Prime Minister 8 December 1997 10 December 1999 2 years 2 days Head of government ExecutiveJanet Jagan Guyana President 19 December 1997 11 August 1999 1 year 235 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveVaira Vike Freiberga Latvia President 8 July 1999 8 July 2007 8 years 0 days Head of stateMireya Moscoso Panama President 1 September 1999 1 September 2004 5 years 0 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveHelen Clark New Zealand Prime Minister 10 December 1999 19 November 2008 8 years 350 days Head of government ExecutiveTarja Halonen Finland President 1 March 2000 1 March 2012 12 years 0 days Head of stateGloria Macapagal Arroyo Philippines President 20 January 2001 30 June 2010 9 years 161 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveMame Madior Boye Senegal Prime Minister 3 March 2001 4 November 2002 1 year 246 days Head of government ExecutiveMegawati Sukarnoputri Indonesia President 23 July 2001 20 October 2004 3 years 89 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveMaria das Neves Sao Tome and Principe Prime Minister 3 October 2002 18 September 2004 1 year 351 days Head of governmentAnneli Jaatteenmaki Finland Prime Minister 17 April 2003 24 June 2003 68 days Head of government ExecutiveYulia Tymoshenko Ukraine Prime Minister 24 January 2005 6 September 2005 225 days Head of government Executive18 December 2007 3 March 2010 2 years 75 daysMaria do Carmo Silveira Sao Tome and Principe Prime Minister 8 June 2005 21 April 2006 317 days Head of governmentAngela Merkel Germany Chancellor 22 November 2005 8 December 2021 16 years 16 days Head of government ExecutiveEllen Johnson Sirleaf Liberia President 16 January 2006 22 January 2018 12 years 6 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveMichelle Bachelet Chile President 11 March 2006 11 March 2010 4 years 0 days Head of stateand government Executive11 March 2014 11 March 2018 4 years 0 daysPortia Simpson Miller Jamaica Prime Minister 30 March 2006 11 September 2007 1 year 165 days Head of government Executive5 January 2012 3 March 2016 4 years 58 daysPratibha Patil India President 25 July 2007 25 July 2012 5 years 0 days Head of stateCristina Fernandez de Kirchner Argentina President 10 December 2007 9 December 2015 7 years 364 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveZinaida Greceanii Moldova Prime Minister 31 March 2008 14 September 2009 1 year 167 days Head of government ExecutiveMichele Pierre Louis Haiti Prime Minister 5 September 2008 11 November 2009 1 year 67 days Head of governmentJohanna Sigurdardottir Iceland Prime Minister 1 February 2009 23 May 2013 4 years 111 days Head of government ExecutiveJadranka Kosor Croatia Prime Minister 6 July 2009 23 December 2011 2 years 170 days Head of government ExecutiveDalia Grybauskaite Lithuania President 12 July 2009 12 July 2019 10 years 0 days Head of stateRoza Otunbayeva Kyrgyzstan President 7 April 2010 1 December 2011 1 year 238 days Head of stateLaura Chinchilla Costa Rica President 8 May 2010 8 May 2014 4 years 0 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveKamla Persad Bissessar Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister 26 May 2010 9 September 2015 5 years 106 days Head of government ExecutiveMari Kiviniemi Finland Prime Minister 22 June 2010 22 June 2011 1 year 0 days Head of government ExecutiveJulia Gillard Australia Prime Minister 24 June 2010 27 June 2013 3 years 3 days Head of government ExecutiveIveta Radicova Slovakia Prime Minister 8 July 2010 4 April 2012 1 year 271 days Head of government ExecutiveDilma Rousseff Brazil President 1 January 2011 31 August 2016 Suspended 12 May 2016 5 years 243 days5 years 132 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveCisse Mariam Kaidama Sidibe Mali Prime Minister 3 April 2011 22 March 2012 354 days Head of governmentAtifete Jahjaga Kosovo h President 7 April 2011 7 April 2016 5 years 0 days Head of stateYingluck Shinawatra Thailand Prime Minister 3 July 2011 7 May 2014 2 years 308 days Head of government ExecutiveHelle Thorning Schmidt Denmark Prime Minister 3 October 2011 28 June 2015 3 years 268 days Head of government ExecutiveJoyce Banda Malawi President 7 April 2012 31 May 2014 2 years 54 days Head of stateand government ExecutivePark Geun hye South Korea President 25 February 2013 10 March 2017 Suspended 9 December 2016 4 years 13 days3 years 288 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveAlenka Bratusek Slovenia Prime Minister 20 March 2013 18 September 2014 1 year 182 days Head of government ExecutiveTatiana Turanskaya Transnistria i Prime Minister 10 June 2013 13 October 2015 2 years 125 days Head of government Executive30 November 2015 2 December 2015 2 daysSibel Siber Northern Cyprus j Prime Minister 13 June 2013 2 September 2013 81 days Head of government ExecutiveAminata Toure Senegal Prime Minister 1 September 2013 8 July 2014 310 days Head of government ExecutiveErna Solberg Norway Prime Minister 16 October 2013 14 October 2021 7 years 363 days Head of government ExecutiveLaimdota Straujuma Latvia Prime Minister 22 January 2014 11 February 2016 2 years 20 days Head of government ExecutiveCatherine Samba Panza Central African Republic President 23 January 2014 30 March 2016 2 years 67 days Head of state ExecutiveMarie Louise Coleiro Preca Malta President 4 April 2014 4 April 2019 5 years 0 days Head of stateEwa Kopacz Poland Prime Minister 22 September 2014 16 November 2015 1 year 55 days Head of governmentKolinda Grabar Kitarovic Croatia President 19 February 2015 18 February 2020 4 years 364 days Head of stateAmeenah Gurib Fakim Mauritius President 5 June 2015 23 March 2018 2 years 291 days Head of stateBidya Devi Bhandari Nepal President 29 October 2015 Incumbent 7 years 125 days Head of stateBeata Szydlo Poland Prime Minister 16 November 2015 11 December 2017 2 years 25 days Head of government ExecutiveHilda Heine Marshall Islands President 28 January 2016 14 January 2020 3 years 351 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveAung San Suu Kyi Myanmar State Counsellor 6 April 2016 1 February 2021 4 years 301 days De facto headof government De facto ExecutiveTsai Ing wen Taiwan k President 20 May 2016 Incumbent 6 years 287 days Head of state ExecutiveTheresa May United Kingdom Prime Minister 13 July 2016 24 July 2019 3 years 11 days Head of government ExecutiveKersti Kaljulaid Estonia President 10 October 2016 11 October 2021 5 years 1 day Head of stateAna Brnabic Serbia Prime Minister 29 June 2017 Incumbent 5 years 247 days Head of government ExecutiveHalimah Yacob Singapore President 14 September 2017 Incumbent 5 years 170 days Head of stateJacinda Ardern New Zealand Prime Minister 26 October 2017 25 January 2023 5 years 91 days Head of government ExecutiveKatrin Jakobsdottir Iceland Prime Minister 30 November 2017 Incumbent 5 years 93 days Head of government ExecutiveViorica Dăncilă Romania Prime Minister 29 January 2018 4 November 2019 1 year 279 days Head of government ExecutivePaula Mae Weekes Trinidad and Tobago President 19 March 2018 Incumbent 4 years 349 days Head of stateMia Mottley Barbados Prime Minister 25 May 2018 Incumbent 4 years 282 days Head of government ExecutiveSahle Work Zewde Ethiopia President 25 October 2018 Incumbent 4 years 129 days Head of stateSalome Zourabichvili Georgia President 16 December 2018 Incumbent 4 years 77 days Head of stateBrigitte Bierlein Austria Chancellor Interim 3 June 2019 7 January 2020 218 days Head of government ExecutiveMaia Sandu Moldova Prime Minister 8 June 2019 14 November 2019 159 days Head of government ExecutivePresident 24 December 2020 Incumbent 2 years 69 days Head of stateZuzana Caputova Slovakia President 15 June 2019 Incumbent 3 years 261 days Head of stateMette Frederiksen Denmark Prime Minister 27 June 2019 Incumbent 3 years 249 days Head of government ExecutiveSophie Wilmes Belgium Prime Minister 27 October 2019 1 October 2020 340 days Head of government ExecutiveJeanine Anez Bolivia President 12 November 2019 8 November 2020 362 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveSanna Marin Finland Prime Minister 10 December 2019 Incumbent 3 years 83 days Head of government ExecutiveKaterina Sakellaropoulou Greece President 13 March 2020 Incumbent 2 years 355 days Head of stateRose Christiane Raponda Gabon Prime Minister 16 July 2020 9 January 2023 2 years 177 days Head of government Executive l Victoire Tomegah Dogbe Togo Prime Minister 28 September 2020 Incumbent 2 years 156 days Head of government Executive m Ingrida Simonyte Lithuania Prime Minister 11 December 2020 Incumbent 2 years 82 days Head of government ExecutiveKaja Kallas Estonia Prime Minister 26 January 2021 Incumbent 2 years 36 days Head of government ExecutiveSamia Suluhu Hassan Tanzania President 19 March 2021 Incumbent 1 year 349 days Head of stateand government ExecutiveVjosa Osmani Kosovo h President 4 April 2021 Incumbent 1 year 333 days Head of stateFiame Naomi Mataʻafa Samoa Prime Minister 24 May 2021 Incumbent 1 year 283 days Head of government ExecutiveNatalia Gavrilița Moldova Prime Minister 6 August 2021 16 February 2023 1 year 194 days Head of government ExecutiveNajla Bouden Tunisia Prime Minister 11 October 2021 Incumbent 1 year 143 days Head of government ExecutiveSandra Mason Barbados President 30 November 2021 Incumbent 1 year 93 days Head of stateMagdalena Andersson Sweden Prime Minister 30 November 2021 18 October 2022 322 days Head of government ExecutiveXiomara Castro Honduras President 27 January 2022 Incumbent 1 year 35 days Head of state and government ExecutiveKatalin Novak Hungary President 10 May 2022 Incumbent 297 days Head of stateElisabeth Borne France Prime Minister 16 May 2022 Incumbent 291 days Head of governmentDroupadi Murmu India President 25 July 2022 Incumbent 221 days Head of stateLiz Truss United Kingdom Prime Minister 6 September 2022 25 October 2022 49 days Head of government ExecutiveGiorgia Meloni Italy Prime Minister 22 October 2022 Incumbent 132 days Head of government ExecutiveDina Boluarte Peru President 7 December 2022 Incumbent 86 days Head of state and government ExecutiveNatasa Pirc Musar Slovenia President 22 December 2022 Incumbent 71 days Head of stateBorjana Kristo Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers 25 January 2023 Incumbent 37 days Head of governmentChristine Kangaloo Trinidad and Tobago President 21 March 2023 President elect 18 days Head of stateElected 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 Incumbent Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate end Term length Head of stateor governmentSukhbaataryn Yanjmaa Mongolia Acting Chairman of the Presidiumof the State Great Khural 7 September 1953 7 July 1954 303 days Head of stateSoong Ching ling China Acting Co Chairperson 31 October 1968 24 April 1972 3 years 176 days Head of stateActing Chairperson 6 July 1976 5 March 1978 1 year 242 daysCarmen Pereira Guinea Bissau Acting President 14 May 1984 16 May 1984 2 days Head of stateSylvie Kinigi Burundi Acting President 27 October 1993 5 February 1994 101 days Head of stateReneta Indzhova Bulgaria Acting Prime Minister 17 October 1994 25 January 1995 100 days Head of governmentIrena Degutiene Lithuania Acting Prime Minister 4 May 1999 18 May 1999 14 days Head of government27 October 1999 3 November 1999 7 daysNyam Osoryn Tuyaa Mongolia Acting Prime Minister 22 July 1999 30 July 1999 8 days Head of governmentNino Burjanadze Georgia Acting President 23 November 2003 25 January 2004 63 days Head of state Georgia 25 November 2007 20 January 2008 56 daysBarbara Prammer Austria Co Acting President 6 July 2004 8 July 2004 2 days Head of stateRadmila Sekerinska North Macedonia Acting Prime Minister 12 May 2004 12 June 2004 31 days Head of government3 November 2004 15 December 2004 42 daysDalia Itzik Israel Acting President 25 January 2007 15 July 2007 171 days Head of stateIvy Matsepe Casaburri South Africa Acting President 25 September 2008 14 hours 8 9 Head of stateand governmentRose Francine Rogombe Gabon Acting President 10 June 2009 16 October 2009 128 days Head of stateCecile Manorohanta Madagascar Acting Prime Minister 18 December 2009 20 December 2009 2 days Head of governmentAdiato Djalo Nandigna Guinea Bissau Acting Prime Minister 10 February 2012 12 April 2012 62 days Head of governmentMonique Ohsan Bellepeau Mauritius Acting President 31 March 2012 21 July 2012 112 days Head of state29 May 2015 5 June 2015 7 daysSlavica Đukic Dejanovic Serbia Acting President 5 April 2012 31 May 2012 56 days Head of stateFlorence Duperval Guillaume Haiti Acting Prime Minister 20 December 2014 16 January 2015 27 days Head of governmentNatalia Gherman Moldova Acting Prime Minister 22 June 2015 30 July 2015 38 days Head of governmentVassiliki Thanou Greece Acting Prime Minister 27 August 2015 21 September 2015 25 days Head of governmentMaya Parnas Transnistria i Acting Prime Minister 13 October 2015 30 November 2015 48 days Head of government2 December 2015 23 December 2015 21 daysDoris Bures Austria Co Acting President 8 July 2016 26 January 2017 202 days Head of stateĐặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh Vietnam Acting President 21 September 2018 23 October 2018 32 days Head of stateVjosa Osmani Kosovo h Acting President 5 November 2020 22 March 2021 137 days Head of stateMaya Tskitishvili Georgia Acting Prime Minister 18 February 2021 22 February 2021 4 days Head of governmentVo Thị Anh Xuan Vietnam Acting President 18 January 2023 2 March 2023 43 days Head of stateFemale members of collective head of state bodies Edit Incumbent Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate end Term length Head of state or governmentAlexandra 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 stateNadezhda 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 stateKlavdiya 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 stateAnna 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 stateYekaterina 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 stateAlicja Musialowa Afanasjew Poland Member of the Council of State 20 November 1952 24 June 1965 12 years 216 days Member of the collective head of stateYadgar 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 stateLuise Ermisch East Germany Member of the State Council 12 September 1960 13 November 1963 3 years 62 days Member of the collective head of stateIrmgard Neumann East Germany Member of the State Council 12 September 1960 13 November 1963 3 years 62 days Member of the collective head of stateTursunoy 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 stateLieselott Herforth East Germany Member of the State Council 13 November 1963 25 June 1981 17 years 224 days Member of the collective head of stateElse Merke East Germany Member of the State Council 13 November 1963 26 November 1971 8 years 13 days Member of the collective head of stateBrunhilde Hanke East Germany Member of the State Council 19 November 1964 5 April 1990 25 years 137 days Member of the collective head of stateAnni Neumann East Germany Member of the State Council 19 November 1964 26 November 1971 7 years 7 days Member of the collective head of stateEugenia Krassowska Jodlowska Poland Member of the Council of State 24 June 1965 28 March 1972 6 years 278 days Member of the collective head of stateZoya 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 stateMaria Schneider East Germany Member of the State Council 13 July 1967 26 November 1971 4 years 136 days Member of the collective head of stateMargarete Muller East Germany Member of the State Council 26 November 1971 11 January 1990 18 years 46 days Member of the collective head of stateIlse Thiele East Germany Member of the State Council 26 November 1971 11 January 1990 18 years 46 days Member of the collective head of stateRosel Walther East Germany Member of the State Council 26 November 1971 5 April 1990 18 years 130 days Member of the collective head of stateHalina Kozniewska Poland Member of the Council of State 28 March 1972 2 April 1980 8 years 5 days Member of the collective head of stateValentina 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 stateRimma 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 stateKamshat 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 stateEugenia Kempara Poland Member of the Council of State 18 December 1976 6 November 1985 8 years 323 days Member of the collective head of stateYekaterina 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 stateVioleta 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 governmentKrystyna Marszalek Mlynczyk Poland Member of the Council of State 2 April 1980 23 March 1983 2 years 355 days Member of the collective head of stateMaria Lea Pedini Angelini San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1981 1 October 1981 183 days Member of the collective head of stateJohanna Topfer East Germany Member of the State Council 25 June 1981 17 November 1989 8 years 145 days Member of the collective head of stateGloriana Ranocchini San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1984 1 October 1984 183 days Member of the collective head of state1 October 1989 1 April 1990 182 daysElisabeth 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 governmentElzbieta Gacek Poland Member of the Council of State 6 November 1985 17 June 1988 2 years 224 days Member of the collective head of stateMonika Werner East Germany Member of the State Council 16 June 1986 5 April 1990 3 years 293 days Member of the collective head of stateEveline Klett East Germany Member of the State Council 16 June 1986 5 April 1990 3 years 293 days Member of the collective head of stateEdda Ceccoli San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 1991 1 April 1992 183 days Member of the collective head of stateBiljana Plavsic Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb Member of the Presidency 1 March 1992 9 April 1992 39 days Member of the collective head of stateTatjana Ljujic Mijatovic 10 Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb Member of the Presidency 24 December 1992 5 October 1996 3 years 286 days Member of the collective head of stateRuth 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 governmentPatrizia Busignani San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1993 1 October 1993 183 days Member of the collective head of stateRuth 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 governmentRosa Zafferani San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 1999 1 October 1999 183 days Member of the collective head of state1 April 2008 1 October 2008 183 daysMaria Domenica Michelotti San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2000 1 October 2000 183 days Member of the collective head of state and governmentMicheline 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 governmentValeria Ciavatta San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2003 1 April 2004 183 days Member of the collective head of state1 April 2014 1 October 2014 183 daysFausta Morganti San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2005 1 October 2005 183 days Member of the collective head of stateDoris 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 governmentEveline 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 governmentAssunta Meloni San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2008 1 April 2009 182 days Member of the collective head of stateSimonetta 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 governmentMaria 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 Incumbent 153 daysDenise Bronzetti San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2012 1 April 2013 182 days Member of the collective head of stateAntonella Mularoni San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2013 1 October 2013 183 days Member of the collective head of stateAnna Maria Muccioli San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2013 1 April 2014 182 days Member of the collective head of stateLorella Stefanelli San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2015 1 April 2016 183 days Member of the collective head of stateMimma Zavoli San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2017 1 October 2017 183 days Member of the collective head of stateVanessa D Ambrosio San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2017 1 October 2017 183 days Member of the collective head of stateKarin Keller Sutter Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2019 Incumbent 4 years 61 days Member of the collective head of state and governmentViola Amherd Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2019 Incumbent 4 years 61 days Member of the collective head of state and governmentAisha Musa el Said 11 Sudan Member of the Sovereignty Council 21 August 2019 21 May 2021 12 1 year 273 days Member of the collective head of stateRaja Nicola 11 Sudan Member of the Sovereignty Council 21 August 2019 25 October 2021 13 2 years 65 days Member of the collective head of stateMariella Mularoni San Marino Captain Regent 1 October 2019 1 April 2020 183 days Member of the collective head of stateGrazia Zafferani San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2020 1 October 2020 183 days Member of the collective head of stateZeljka Cvijanovic Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb Member of the Presidency 16 November 2022 Incumbent 107 days Member of the collective head of stateElisabeth Baume Schneider Switzerland Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1 January 2023 Incumbent 61 days Member of the collective head of state and governmentFemale viceregal representatives Edit 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 lengthElmira Minita Gordon Belize Governor General 21 September 1981 17 November 1993 12 years 57 daysJeanne Sauve Canada Governor General 14 May 1984 29 January 1990 5 years 260 daysNita Barrow Barbados Governor General 6 June 1990 19 December 1995 5 years 196 daysCatherine Tizard New Zealand Governor General 13 December 1990 21 March 1996 5 years 99 daysPearlette Louisy Saint Lucia Governor General 17 September 1997 31 December 2017 20 years 105 daysAdrienne Clarkson Canada Governor General 7 October 1999 27 September 2005 5 years 324 daysSilvia Cartwright New Zealand Governor General 4 April 2001 4 August 2006 5 years 122 daysIvy Dumont The Bahamas Governor General 11 November 2001 30 November 2005 4 years 19 daysMichaelle Jean Canada Governor General 27 September 2005 1 October 2010 5 years 4 daysEmmanuelle Mignon Andorra Representative of the French Co Prince 6 June 2007 24 September 2008 1 year 110 daysLouise Lake Tack Antigua and Barbuda Governor General 17 July 2007 13 August 2014 7 years 27 daysQuentin Bryce Australia Governor General 5 September 2008 28 March 2014 5 years 204 daysSylvie Hubac Andorra Representative of the French Co Prince span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. |