women make strides in global leadership
africa’s first female head of state
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in last month as Liberia’s freely elected president and Africa’s first female head of state. Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard graduate, promises Liberians a “fundamental break with the past.” Liberians have suffered from a quarter century of coups, dictatorships, and a 14-year civil war. She promised to tackle the national debt, fight rampant corruption, and empower Liberian women in all aspects of life.
chile’s first female president
Pediatrician Michelle Bachelet, a former political prisoner, won Chile’s presidential election to become the country’s first female leader. Ms. Bachelet, who won 53% of the vote to beat her opponent, a multi-millionaire businessman, has served as health minister and then defense minister to the current president.
The 54-year-old Ms. Bachelet is the third woman to be directly elected president of a Latin American country, following Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua and Mireya
Comments off