10 Female Political Leaders Emerged from Asia

Jun 18, 2024

Sirimavo Bandaranaike (Sri Lanka)

She was the first woman to become head of government in a modern state

Indira Gandhi (India)

Indira Gandhi was the third prime minister and first woman leader of India.

Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)

Benazir Bhutto (1953–2007) of Pakistan was a member of another powerful political dynasty from Pakistan

Golda Meir (Israel)

Israel's fourth prime minister in 1969, serving until the conclusion of the Yom Kippur War in 1974.

Corazon Aquino (Philippines)

The first female president in Asia was "ordinary housewife" Corazon Aquino of the Philippines, who was the widow of assassinated senator

Roza Otunbayeva (Kyrgyzstan)

Roza Otunbayeva served as the president of Kyrgyzstan in the wake of the 2010 protests that overthrew Kurmanbek Bakiyev

Megawati Sukarnoputri (Indonesia)

She is the eldest daughter of Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia

Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh)

Sheikh Hasina has served two terms as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, from 1996 to 2001, and from 2009 to the present

Park Guen Hye (South Korea)

She took office in February of 2013 for a five-year term; but she was impeached and ousted in 2017

Priyanka Gandhi (India)

She is an Indian politician and the general secretary of the All India Congress Committe

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