BBC ON THIS DAY | 8 | 1990: Ireland elects first woman president 1990: Ireland elects first woman president Voters in the Republic of Ireland have chosen their first female president. Unofficial returns suggest that Mary Robinson, who is standing as an independent, took nearly 40% of the vote in the first round. Ireland's system of proportional representation means the result will not be confirmed until tomorrow. But Mrs Robinson's performance in the first round means it is now impossible for anybody else to win. Senior sources in the camp of her main opponent, former deputy prime minister, Brian Lenihan, have already conceded victory to Mrs Robinson. It is the first time in 70 years that a presidential candidate put up by Mr Lenihan's party, Fianna Fail, has been defeated. Mrs Robinson, a Dublin barrister, is considered radical by Irish terms. A civil and human rights lawyer, she has campaigned for the liberalisation of laws prohibiting divorce and abortion for more than 20 years. However, she not only won the support of women countrywide but also polled well in traditionally conservative rural areas. The mother-of-three has been a member of the Irish Senate for more than 20 years.

She twice ran unsuccessfully for parliament as a Labour candidate. But five years ago she resigned from the Irish Labour party over the Anglo-Irish agreement because she felt unionists in Northern Ireland had not been consulted. Female Presidents FEMALE PRESIDENTS and Woman Premier Ministers 06.04.1940-11.10.1944 Head of State Khertek Anchimaa-Toka, People's Republic of Tannu Tuva As Chairperson of the Presidium of the Parliament, the Little Hï¿½ral, Khertek Amyrbitovna was the Head of the state which became Independent in 1921, a People's Republic in 1926, was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1944. She had held various jobs in local administration and the party administration, Chairperson of the Women Department of the Central Committee of the Tuvinian People's Revolutionary Party 1938-1940.

Married to the First Secretary of the TPRP, Salchak Kalbakkhorekovich Toka in 1940, Deputy Chairperson of Oblast Executive Committee 1944-1961 and Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Tuva 1961-1972. She lived (1912-2008). 31.10.1968-24.02.1972 Acting Head of State Song Qingling, China 06.07.1976-05.03.78 Joint Acting Head of State 1979-1980 "Honorary President" Born into a rich Christian family, she was educated in the USA.

In 1927-29 Member of Government Council, 1929-49 Leader of Opposition against her brother-in-Law President Chiang Kai-chek and 1948 Honorary Chairperson of the Kuomintang, 1949-54 Deputy Premier Minister, 1954-59 Vice-Chairperson of The Peoples' Republic (Deputy Head of State), 1954-76 and 1975-78 Vice-Chairperson of the National People’s Congress, Vice-Chairperson of China People’s Consultative Consultative Conference, CPPCC. In 1968-74 the Post of Chair of the Republic was vacant and she and the other Vice-Chairperson, Dong Bow shared the Presidential Powers. In 1976 the Chairman of the NPC died and the 21 vice-chairmen, including Song, acted as collective heads of state until 1978 when a replacement was elected. 1980 she was Chairperson of the 3rd Session of the National People’s Congress.

Soong Qingling was widow of Sun Yat-Sen, Provisoric President of China in 1911. Her sister Soong May-ling (b. 1897) played a crucial role as wife of Chiang Kai-chek, President of China till 1945 and of Taiwan 1945-75. And her brother, T. V. Soong, was Premier Minister in Taiwan. A third sister was a business magnate. She lived (1893-1981). 01.07.1974- 24.03.1976 Executive President Maria Estella Martï¿½nez de Perï¿½n, Argentina Isabel Peron was Vice-President and President of the Senate 1973-74. As Executive President she was also head of the Cabinet. Chairperson of Partido Justicial, The Peronist party 1974-85, removed by a coup d'ï¿½tat and in Prison 1976-78, Exile in Spain 1981-93.

She was married to General Juan Peron, who was President two times. (b. 1931-). 17.11.1979-18.07.1980 Interim Executive President Lydia Gueiler Tejada, Bolivia As President she was also Head of the Cabinet. Lidia Gueiler was member of Parliament 1956-64 and afterwards in exile for 15 years. Circa 1978 Subsecretary for Agriculture, 1978 President of Camera de Diputados. Acting President of the Congress and acting Deputy Head of State 1978-79.She was President of Partido Revolucionario de los Izquierda Nazional Gueiler 1979-94, Exile in France 1980-82, Ambassador in Embassy to West Germany 1982-83, and to Venezuela 1983-86 and since 1993 She was deposed by the 129th Coup d'ï¿½tat in the history of Bolivia, shortly before elections was due.

She lived (1921-2011). 01.08.1980-01.08.1996 President Vigdï¿½s Finnbogadï¿½ttir, Iceland In 1972-80 Director of Iceland’s National Theatre was the world’s first democratically elected female President. Since 1996 she has been involved in a wide range of international humanitarian and cultural organizations. She was a divorcee and mother of an adopted a daughter. (b.1930-). 01.04-01.10.1981 Captain Regent Maria Lea Pedini Angelini, San Marino Every 6th month The Consiglio Grande e Generale elects two Captain Regents, who acts as heads of State and Government and as Chairmen of the Consiglio Grande e Generale. From circa 1991 she has been Director in Ministry of Government and Foreign Affairs, since 1995 Ambassador in the Ministry to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland etc. (b. 1954- ).

15.02.1982-15.02.1987 President Agatha Barbara, Malta Labour M.P 1947-82 and for long periods the only woman in Parliament. Minister of Education and Culture 1955-58 and 1971-74 Labour, Welfare and Culture (Third in Cabinet) 1974-81. In the last period she was Acting Prime Minister on various brief occasions. She resigned as President 2 years ahead of time because Labour lost the 1987-elections. She lived (1923-2002). 01.04.1984-01.10.1984 and 01.10.1989-01.04.90 Captain Regent Gloriana Ranocchini, San Marino Member of the Parliament. (b. 1957-).

14.05-16.05.1984 Acting Head of State Carmen Pereira, Guinea Bissau Has been Member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) since 1962 and later Political Commissioner for the Southern Front, and only female member of the 24 members Committee Executivo da Luta (CEL). In 1973-84 Deputy President of Assemblï¿½ia Nacional Popular, 1975-80 President of the Parliament of Cap Verde (which was in union with Guinea Bissau at the time) 1981-83 Minister of Health and Social Affairs 1984-89 President of Assemblï¿½ia Nacional Popular, 1989-94 Member the Council of State and 1990-91 Minister of State (Deputy Premier) for Social Affairs. She acted as head of state after Joï¿½o Bernardo Viera, Head of state since 1980, was elected President in 1984.

In 1999 he was deposed after a military coup d'ï¿½tat. (b. 1937-). 25.2.1986-30.06.1992 Executive President Maria Corazï¿½n Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino, The Philippines Cory Aquino became leader of the opposition after the murder of her husband Ninoi Aquino in 1986, and was brought to power by the so-called "People Power", which protested about President Marcos's attempts to remain in power. She was also Head of the Cabinet. 1998 among the senior advisors of the new President Estrada. During her term in office she fought off 8 attempted coup d'ï¿½tats. Constitutionally barred from running for re-election. Mother of 4 children. She lived (1933-2009).

13.03.1990-07.02.1991 Acting President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot, Haiti She was the first female High Court Judge 1986-90, and became acting President during the turbulent political situation in Haiti in a period where one Coup d'ï¿½tat followed the other. She was held hostage on one occasion by soldiers attempting a coup. (b. 1943-). 05.04.1990-02.10.1990 Acting Head of State Dr. Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, East-Germany As President of the People's Chamber she was acting as the last Head of State of the German Democratic Republic, DDR/GDR before the reunification. After the reunification she was Federal Minister without Portfolio for the New Bundesstates 1990-91, Parliamentary State Secretary of Health 1991-98 and member of the Bundestag 1998-2002. Mother of two children. (b. 1946-).

25.04.1990-10.01.1997 Executive President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Nicaragua In 1979 Doï¿½a Violeta was member of the Ruling Junta after the overthrow of the Somoza-dictatorship but left because of disagreement with the Sandinistas. Between 1979-90 Publisher of the opposition newspaper La Prensa after the murder of her husband, opposition leader Joaquï¿½n Chamorro Cardenal. As Executive President she was also Head of the Cabinet and Minister of Defence. She did not run for re-election. (b. 1929- ). 03.12.1990-12.09.1997 President Mary Robinson, Ireland In 1969 she was appointed Professor of Law, 1970-90 she was Labour-senator. She did not run for re-election. From 1997 she has been Assistant Secretary General and United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights. Mother of two children. (b. 1944-).

01.10.1991-01.04.1992 Captain Regent Edda Ceccoli, San Marino Member of the leadership of Partito Democratico Cristano Sammarinese. 01.04.1993-01.10.1993 Captain Regent Patrizia Busignani, San Marino 1983-90 President of Partito Socialista Unitario. From around 1997 she was Chief of the Parliamentary Group of Socialisti per le Riforme. In March 2006 she was candidate for the post for the period starting in April 2006. 27.10.1993-05.02.1994 Acting Head of State Sylvie Kinigi, Burundi By the time of her appointment as Premier she was Head of the Economic Planning Office in the President’s Office. During the Civil War the President was killed and as the highest ranking remaining official, she became Acting President (27.10.93-5.2.94). After her resignation, she left politics and joined the Burundi’s Commercial Bank. (b.

1952-). 14.11.1994-19.11.2005 Executive President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Sri Lanka Vice-President 1984-86 and President of Sri Lanka Maha Jana Party 1984-86, Leader of United Socialist Alliance 1988 and since 1993 Leader of People’s Alliance and Deputy Leader of Sri Lanka Freedom Party, 1993-94 Chief Minister of the Colombo Province and in a few months in 1994 Prime Minister. As Executive President she was also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and held the Portfolio of Defence and Finance and Planning 1994-2001 and was Minister of Defence, Information and Interior from November 2003. She is the first person in the world to be daughter of two premier ministers, Solomon and Sirivamo Bandaranaike and the first to have appointed her mother to the post of Prime Minister. Her husband politician Vijaya K.

was assassinated 1988, and during the Presidential campaign in 2000 she survived an assassination-attempt but lost vision in one eye. She was not allowed to stand for re-election in 2005. She is mother of 2 children. (b. 1945-). 03.09.1996-02.08.1997 Chairman of the Council of State Ruth Perry, Liberia Ruth Sando Fahnbulleh Perry was a senator 1985-96. Appointed to chair the Council of State preparing the transfer to democracy after many years of civil war. From 1999 Ruth Perry was 1. Vice-Chairperson of the Organization for African Unity. She lived (1939-2017). 09.02.1997-11.02.1997 Acting Executive President Rosalia Arteaga Serrano de Fernï¿½ndez de Cï¿½rdova, Ecuador A former minister, she was Vice-President 1994-98 and Presidential Candidate in 1998.

She was inaugurated as Acting President after her predecessor was removed from office but two days after the Congress nominated someone else. As Executive President she was also Head of the Cabinet. Presidential Candidate in 1997. (b. 1953-). 11.11.1997-11.11.2011 President Mary McAleese, Ireland Professor of Law and 1993-97 Pro-chancellor of University of Belfast, the first person from Northern Ireland to be elected President of Ireland. During the 1997-elections 5 candidates were female and there was only one token male candidates finishing a distant last. 2004 she was returned unopposed for a second term. (b. 1951-). 19.12.1997-11.08.99 Executive President Janet Jagan, Guyana Her country's first white and first female President and was executive President but worked together with the Prime Minister.

1950-90 she held leading posts in the Progressive People's Party, PPP, 1953 Deputy President of the National Assembly, 1954 imprisoned by the British authorities for her activities for independence 1957-61. Minister of Labour, Health and Housing, 1963-64 Minister of Home Affairs (Senator), 1973-97 Editor-in-Chief of The Mirror, 1993 Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations. In 1997 her husband, President Dr. Cheddi Bharat Jagan, died, and she was chosen to replace the Premier, who had become President. Janet was chosen as her party's candidate in the following Presidential elections. She was in office until July 1999 when she suffered a mild hart attack and chose to resign from her post 3 years ahead of time. Born as Janet Rosenberg in Chicago, mother of two children and lived (1920-2009).

01.01.1999-31.12.1999 President of the Confederation Ruth Dreifuss, Switzerland A former trade union-leader, she was Councillor of Interior in 1992-2002 and Vice-President 1998-99. (b. 1939-). 01.04.1999-01.10.1999 and 01.04.2008-01.10.2008 Captain Regent Rosa Zafferani, San Marino Director in the Department of Finance, Budget and Programs before she was elected to the Consiglio Grande e Generale in 1998. Secretary of State of Health, Social Security and Provision 2002-04, Secretary of State of Public Education, University and Cultural Institutions from 2004 and 2005-06 also in charge of Internal Affairs. (b. 1960 in USA).

08.07.1999-08.07.2007 President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Latvia Born in Latvia and grew up in refugee camps in Germany, went to school in French Morocco, University studies in Canada. Retired from the Universite de Montreal in 1998, after being a professor of psychology there since 1965 and involved in various scientific and administrative committees, among others as Vice-Chairperson of the Science Council of Canada. She moved to Latvia as Director of the newly created Latvian Institute in Riga. Candidate for the Post of Secretary General of the United Nations in 2006. Married to her fellow countryman, Imants Freibergs, also exiled in Canada, who moved to Latvia in October 1999. Mother of a son and a daughter. (b. 1937-).

01.09.1999-01.09.2004 Executive President Mireya Moscoso Rodrï¿½gez, Panama Since 1991 President of the Arnolfist Party (now Panameï¿½ista), 1994 Presidential Candidate. As Executive President she is also head of the Cabinet, and she is the first female President to have officially appointed a First Lady - her sister, Ruby Moscoso de Young. She was constitutionally barred from running for re-election. Mireya was first married to President Arnulfo Arias Madrid (1901-88) who was President of Panama 1940-41, 1949-51 and 1968. Married to Mr. Gruber 1991-97 and mother of an adopted a child. (b. 1946-).

01.03.2000-01.03.2012 President Tarja Halonen, Finland Member of Parliament 1979-2000, 1984-87 Chairperson of the Social Affairs Committee and Member of the Presidium of the Parliament, 1987-1990 Second Minister of Health and Social Affairs (Health Minister) and 1989-1991 Minister of Nordic Co-operation, 1989-91 Co-leader of Soumen Sosialidemokraattinen Pulolue, The Social Democrats. 1990-1991 Minister of Justice 1995-2000 Minister of Foreign Affairs. The position as President is very powerful - especially concerning foreign politics. Mother of one daughter. In August 2000 she married her partner trough a decade, Pentti Arajï¿½rvi. They did not live together before they moved into the Presidential palace. Mother of one daughter. (b. 1943-).

01.04.2000-01.10.2000 Capitano Reggente Maria Domenica Michelotti, San Marino Former lecturer at San Marino University and Member of the Consiglio Grande e Generale since 1998. She is widow and her married name was Casadei Michelotti. Mother of two girls (b. 1952-). 20.01.2001-30.06.2010 Executive President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, The Philippines As executive GMA is also Head of the Cabinet. 1987-1989 she was Assistant Secretary and 1989-92 Undersecretary of Trade and Industry and Senator 1992-98. Secretary of Social Development and Welfare 1998-2000 and The President charged her with the leadership of the Cabinet Meetings. In 2000 she resigned from her cabinet-post after President Estrada was accused of accusations. In January 2001 he was forced to vacate the presidency and she succeeded him.

2002 and 2003 also Minister of Foreign Affairs and 2003 and 2006-07 Minister of Defence. 2004 she was re-elected to the post of President. In 2011 she was arrested on charges for electoral fraud. Daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal and Dr. Evangeline Macaraeg-Macapagal, mother of two sons and a daughter (b. 1947-). 23.07.2001-20.10.2004 Executive President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Indonesia When Megawati Setyawati Soekarnoputri became leader of the Democratic Party in 1993, she triggered the opposition against President Quarto. In 1999 her party won the most seats in the Parliament, but Abdulrahman Wahid was elected President. This caused serious riots all over the country and she was elected vice-President the following day. In August 2000 the ailing President Wahid charged her with the running of the daily business of the government and state and she chaired the cabinet meetings.

At the 23rd of July he was ousted and she inaugurated as President. In 2004 she lost her bid for re-election. Ibu Mega, as she is known, is daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno, is married for the 3rd time and mother of 3 children. (b. 1946-). 30.12.2002-04.02.2004 Acting President Natasa Micic, Serbia As President of the Assembly since 2001, she became Acting President since the attempt to elect a President failed twice. She continued her duties as Chairperson of the Parliament. (b.1965-).

01.10.2003-31.03.2004 Capitano Reggente Valeria Ciavatta, San Marino 01.04.2014-10.10.2014 Capitano Reggente Member of the Grand and General Council for the Alianza Populare since 1993 and Chairperson of the Council Group 2002-05, Party President 2006, Minister of Minister of Internal Affairs and Civil Protection and Accomplishment of the Programme 2006-12. As Captain Regent, she was joint head of a state with a man, and also President of the Parliament and Head of Government. Mother of twins. (b. 1959-).

23.11.2003-25.01.2004 Acting Executive President Nino Burjanadze, Georgia 25.11.2007-20.01.2008 Acting Executive President As Chairperson of the Parliament 2001-08, she took over after former President Eduard Shevardnadze was forced to resign as result of a "velvet revolution" after he rigged the parliamentary elections and in 2007 she aced as President again as the incumbent, Mikheil Saakashvili, resigned to run in the January 2008-elections. President of Burjanadze-Democrats 2003-08 and of Democratic Movement - United Georgia since 2008 and Presidential Candidate in 2013. Her full name is Nino Anzoris asuli Burjanadze, and her surname is also transcribed as Burdzhanadze. Mother of two children. (b. 1964-).

06.07.2004-08.07.2004 Member of the Joint Acting Presidency Barbara Prammer, Austria As Vice-President of the National Assembly she assumed the Presidential duties together with the two other members of the Presidium, when the outgoing President died two days before his successor was to take office in July. She was a former Federal Minister, President of the Nationalrat from 2006 until her death and a leading member of the Social Democrats of Austria, SPï¿½ She lived (1954-2014) 01.04.2005-01.10.2005 Capitano Reggente Fausta Simona Morganti, San Marino In 1974 she was one of the first three women elected to the Consiglio Grande e Generale.

1978-83 and 1988-92 Minister of State of Culture, Education and Justice, In the late 1990s Leader in Partito Progressista Democartico Sammarinese and Chief of the Parliamentary Group from around 1997 to 2002 and then again later in 2002 and Secretary of State of Public Education, Universities, Cultural Institutions and Social Affairs in 2002. (b. 1944-). 16.01.2006- Executive President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia 1972-73 and 1977-79 Secretary of State of Finance, 1979-80 Minister of Finance, 1980 President of the National Bank, 1980-85 worked for the World Bank, 1985-86 in house arrest after her return, 1990-92 Leading member of exile-government of Amos Sawyer in United States of America, 1992-97 African Director of the UNDP (United Nations Development Program).

From 1997 Leader of the Unity Party. Presidential Candidate in 1997, Candidate for the Chairmanship of the National Transitional Government in 2003 and finally won the presidential elections in November 2005. She is divorced, mother of a number of children, and grandmother. (b. 1938-). 11.03.2006-11.03.2010 Executive President Michelle Bachelet Jeria, Chile 11.03.2014- Executive President 2000-02 Minister of Health and 2002-04 Minister of Defence. Her father, a general, was killed by the Pinochet dictatorship. Her boyfriend was also detained, tortured and disappeared. She and her mother were also detained and tortured and afterwards lived in exile in Australia and East Germany. She returned to Chile in 1979 and worked for various NGOs helping children of the tortured and disappeared. She had two children with her first husband and a daughter with her former partner. (b. 1952-).

01.01.2007-31.12.2007 President of the Confederation Micheline Calmy-Rey, Switzerland 01.01.2011-31.12.2011 President of the Consideration Former President of the Socialist Party of Gï¿½nï¿½ve, she was President of the Grand Conseil of Gï¿½nï¿½ve 1993, Councillor of Finance 1997-2002, Vice-President of the Cantonal Government 2000-01 and President of the Cantonal Government 2001-02. Federal Foreign Minister 2003-11 and Vice-President in 2006 and 2010. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf was elected Vice-President for 2011, the first time two women would fill the two highest post in the country. (b. 1945-). Ireland’s first woman president elected 25 years ago By using this website, you consent to our use of cookies. For more information on cookies see our Cookie Policy .

X Ireland’s first woman president elected 25 years ago Mary Robinson pushed the office ‘as far as the wall and peeped over, but didn’t cross it’ Sun, Nov 8, 2015, 20:56 As a constitutional lawyer Mary Robinson “went as far as the wall and peeped over, but she didn’t cross it”. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien The election of Mary Robinson as Ireland’s first woman president 25 years ago was an extraordinary event, Bride Rosney has recalled. Former special advisor to President Robinson, she said “it was an extraordinary time in Ireland , the year of Nessum Dorma, a year of a new found confidence, for the first time we were acting as Europeans.” It was the year of ‘Italia 90’ when Ireland qualified for the quarter finals of the World Cup in Italy . Mrs Robinson was elected president on November 7th 1990.

In the same way that Václav Havel came to be identified with Czechoslovakia after his election as president in 1989, then of the Czech Republic from 1993, she believed Mary Robinson was “a person who could personify a nation.” She came to be “how people saw Ireland internationally”. In her own case Ms Rosney had been involved in the Robinson election campaign but intended returning to her post as principal of the Rosminian community school in Dublin’s Drumcondra. “She invited me to be special advisor and I accepted for 18 months to ensure commitments and promises were fulfilled.” Her intention was to then return to her previous job but she found her work at the Áras so fulfilling she stayed on. Mary Robinson was “the first president who had not enjoyed the support of Fianna Fáil”. Her election was “a big departure and she wanted a different style of presidency.” As a constitutional lawyer Mrs Robinson “went as far as the wall and peeped over, but she didn’t cross it.” There were strains with then Taoiseach Charles Haughey but “after initial tensions it all settled down” with governments of the day.

Mary Robinson became the first president to visit Northern Ireland on a regular basis and the first to do so also where the UK was concerned. Her handshake with Gerry Adams in Belfast and meetings with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth helped normalise relations in and between these islands, Ms Rosney felt. ADVERTISEMENT To summarise that presidency a phrase which kept coming back to her during the election campaign andsince was people saying they wanted a president “who would do us proud, give us a sense of satisfaction.” Mary Robinson did that, but she did something else, “she went back to visit the places she said she would during the campaign.” People “were always surprised” at that. “It was as if the didn’t expect that election promise to be fulfilled” either, she said. Female Heads of State Female Heads of State The following is a list of all of the female heads of state, past and present, from around the world. While there are many more women in important leadership positions (such as women that are Prime Ministers under a President of a country), I chose only to include women who held the highest elected position in their country, and thus were head of that state.

To read a little bit more about each woman, click on their name which will take you a short description and a link to a longer biography. Name: Prime Minister of Great Britain 1979-1990 President of the German Democratic Republic 1990 Liberian Chairman of the Council of State 1996-1997 2006-Present For more information click the names which will link you to a more detailed biography of each person... Suhbaataryn Yanjmaa served as interim President of Mongolia when President Gonchigiyn Bumtsend died while in office. Maria Estela Martinez de Peron , Vice President of Argentina, became acting President of Argentina when her husband, President Juan Peron, became so sick that he could not govern effectivelty. Margaret Thatcher became the first woman elected to lead a major Democracy in the West, when she was elected Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1979. She was reelected twice, serving a record total of over 11 years. Lidia Gueiler Tejada became President of Bolivia when military and political officials selected her to serve as an interim President.

This occurred after President Walter Guevara Arce, influenced by an attempted coup, left the presidency. Vigdis Finnbogadottir was the first woman in the world to be elected head of state. This is considered especially significant because before being elected she had gotten a divorce and adopted a daughter, making her a single mother. Agatha Barbara after being appointed interim President of Malta multiple times, was elected President of Malta in 1982. Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino 's husband Benigno Simeon Aquino Jr. was exiled from the Philippines in 1980. When they returned he was executed which only increased the opposition to the President Ferdinand E. Marcos. As a result, Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino was nominated as the opposition's candidate in the next elections. After many conflicts over election fraud, Aquino was determined President. Sabine Bergmann-Pohl served as President of the German Democratic Republic or East Germany until Germany was rejoined. Ertha Pascal-Trouillot served as interim President of Haiti after a military coup occurred led by Herard Abraham, who subsequently gave up control.

Mary Robinson , not only became the first female President of Ireland in 1990, she also became the first Irish President elected without the support of Fianna Fail, the Republican Party. Violeta de Barrios Chamorro became Central America's first female head of state when she was elected President of Nicaragua in 1990. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga received a record 62% of the votes when she was elected President of Sri Lanka in 1994. The Economic Community of West African States elected Ruth Perry President of Liberia in 1996. She beat two male opponents with all votes in her favor. Rosalia Arteaga , Vice President of Ecuador, was appointed interim President of Ecuador after officials decided that President Abdala Bucaram too mentally incompetent to stay in power. After her husband, Guyana President Cheddi Jagan, died in office, American-born Janet Jagan campaigned to replace him in office. She won and became the first female President of Guyana. Due to illness, however, she was only able to serve less than two years. Mary McAleese was elected President of Ireland with a record number of votes.

She was the first President elected who came from Northern Ireland. In reelections she was unopposed. Ruth Dreifuss was not only the first female President elected in Switzerland, she was also the first Jew to enter that office. Her election occurred the day before the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Vaira Vike-Freiberga was elected President of Latvia in 1998 and was reelected for another term. She is considered to have positively transformed Latvia in many ways since she took office. Mireya Elisa Moscoso de Arias won the Presidency of Panama on her second attempt. She ran as a candidate from the Arnulfista Party, which she helped to start. Tarja Kaarina Halonen ran for the presidency after she was inspired by the impressive support for another female candidate the previous election. She was elected the first female President of Finland in 2000 and won reelection in 2006. Megawati Sukarnoputri , Vice President of Indonesia, became President of Indonesia in 2001 when President Abdurrahman Wahid was impeached.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo , Vice President of the Philippines, became President when President Joseph Ejercito-Estrada was removed from power because of suspicions of corruption. When Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected President of Liberia in 2005, she not only became that country's first female head of state, she became the first elected female head of state in Africa. Michelle Bachelet , a single mother of three, became the first female President of Chile in 2006. Mary Robinson | The Elders Our Strategic Framework 2014-17 Mary Robinson “When Nelson Mandela brought us together as Elders, he did so in the belief that together we are stronger, that change happens when people collectively take action to make our world a better place.” Former President of Ireland “I was elected by the women of Ireland, who instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system.” Giving voice to human rights “Human rights are inscribed in the hearts of people; they were there long before lawmakers drafted their first proclamation.” Climate change: a matter of justice “If we are to be true to our commitment to human rights, then rich nations owe a fair and honest deal to the world’s most vulnerable regions.

The people on climate change’s frontline have often done the least to cause it.” Calling for more women leaders “If we empower women, we stand a chance of succeeding at everything else.” Mary Robinson biography First woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; a passionate, forceful advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building and human dignity. President of Ireland 1990-1997 United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 1997-2002 Institutional reformer: brought the human rights agenda into the core of United Nations activities UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa 2013-2014 UN Envoy on Climate Change 2014-2015 Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin Current UN Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate "Part of the wisdom of the Elders is to remind the world that we actually have universal values that are accepted by every government in the world and yet they are not being implemented." Work with The Elders Mary Robinson has been a member of The Elders since the group was founded in 2007 and makes it a priority to bring the concerns of ordinary people to the global stage.

She has travelled to the Middle East several times with The Elders to encourage peace efforts and support Israelis and Palestinans working for peaceful coexistence; visited the Korean Peninsula to help ease tensions between North and South Korea and learn more about North Korea’s chronic food crisis; joined an Elders' delegation to Côte d'Ivoire to emphasise the importance of reconciliation following widespread civil conflict in early 2011. In 2012 she visited South Sudan to meet leaders, civil society and refugees from recent fighting, urging a return to dialogue between Sudan and South Sudan . Later that year she was part of an Elders' visit to Cairo to encourage Egypt 's democratic transition. A tireless champion of women’s equality, she also travelled to Ethiopia in June 2011 with her fellow Elders to convene an international meeting of experts and activists working to end child marriage , which was followed by a visit to India in February 2012 to support youth activists tackling early marriage in their own communities. Mrs Robinson also participated in the Elders+Youngers project, an intergenerational dialogue on sustainable development between four Elders and four young change-makers during the Rio+20 summit in June 2012.

In October 2012, Mary Robinson was on the Elders delegation visiting the Middle East to draw attention to the imperilled two-state solution in Israel and Palestine and to lend their support to the Egyptian democratic transition. First woman President of Ireland Mary Robinson was elected Irish President in 1990 and served for seven years as a principled and transformative leader who continued to fight for equality and women’s rights throughout her time in office. A firm believer in dialogue and reconciliation, she broke taboos by being the first Irish head of state to make official visits to Britain, as well as regularly visiting Northern Ireland. She was the first head of state to visit Somalia following the crisis there in 1992, and brought global media attention to the suffering of Rwandans as the first Head of State to visit the country just after the 1994 genocide. Human rights champion As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), Mary Robinson integrated human rights into the United Nations system and became renowned as an outspoken voice dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights abuses across the world.

Mary Robinson founded Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative , which aimed to put human rights standards at the heart of global governance and to ensure that the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable are addressed on the global stage. As an academic, legislator and barrister, Mary Robinson has always sought to use law as an instrument for social change, arguing landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights as well as in the Irish courts and the European Court in Luxembourg. A committed European, she also served on expert European Community and Irish parliamentary committees. In 1988 Mary Robinson and her husband founded the Irish Centre for European Law at Trinity College, the University of Dublin. Ten years later she was elected Chancellor of the University. Tackling global issues Mary Robinson heads the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice , a centre for education and advocacy on sustainable and people-centred development in the world’s poorest communities. She co-founded the Council of Women World Leaders, a network that mobilises women leaders at the highest levels to promote democracy and gender equality. She is a member of the Club of Madrid, a group of global leaders working on governance and conflict issues.

She is also: Honorary President of Oxfam International Former President of the International Commission of Jurists Board Member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Board Member of the European Climate Foundation Mary Robinson served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa from 2013-2014, stepping down in July 2014 to take up the post of Special Envoy for Climate Change. She continued in this post until the end of December 2015 which saw the successful conclusion of the COP21 Climate Summit and the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In May 2016, she was appointed as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate, along with Macharia Kamau of Kenya, to focus the world’s attention to meet the urgent challenges posed by extreme weather events on the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Share this Ireland - becoming a free state The 1916 Easter Rising The Easter Rebellion, was an armed uprising of Irish nationalists against the rule of Great Britain in Ireland. The uprising occurred on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, and centred mainly in Dublin.

The chief objectives were the attainment of political freedom and the establishment of an Irish republic. Centuries of discontent, marked by numerous rebellions, preceded the uprising. The new crisis began to develop in September 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, when the British government suspended the recently enacted Home Rule Bill, which guaranteed a measure of political autonomy to Ireland. Suspension of the bill stimulated the growth of the Citizen Army, an illegal force of Dublin citizens organised by the labour leader Jim Larkin (died 1948) and the socialist James Connolly (1870-1916); of the Irish Volunteers, a national defence body; and of the extremist Sinn Fï¿½in . The uprising was planned by leaders of these organisations, among whom were the British consular agent Sir Roger David Casement, the educator Padhraic Pearse (1879-1916), and the poet Thomas MacDonagh (1878-1916). Hostilities began about noon on April 24, when about 2000 men led by Pearse seized control of the Dublin post office and other strategic points within the city.

Shortly after these initial successes, the leaders of the rebellion proclaimed the Independence of Ireland and announced the establishment of a provisional government of the Irish Republic. Additional positions were occupied by the rebels during the night, and by the morning of April 25 they controlled a considerable part of Dublin. The counteroffensive by British forces began on Tuesday with the arrival of reinforcements. Martial law was proclaimed throughout Ireland. Bitter street fighting developed in Dublin, during which the strengthened British forces steadily dislodged the Irish from their positions. By the morning of April 29, the post office building, site of the rebel headquarters, was under violent attack. Recognising the futility of further resistance, Pearse surrendered unconditionally in the afternoon of April 29. The British immediately brought the leaders of the uprising to trial before a field court-martial. Fifteen of the group, including Pearse, Connolly, and MacDonagh, were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad. Four others, including the American-born Eamon de Valera , received death sentences that were later commuted to life imprisonment, although de Valera and some others were granted amnesty the next year. Casement was convicted of treason and hanged.

Many others prominently connected with the rebellion were sentenced to long prison terms. The uprising was the first of a series of events that culminated in the establishment of the Irish Free State (predecessor of the Republic of Ireland) in 1921. Casualties were about 440 British troops and an estimated 75 Irish (below are their names). Property damage included the destruction of about 200 buildings in Dublin. The seven signatories of the Irish Proclamation (from the left): Padraig Pearse, James Connolly, Thomas Clarke, Thomas MacDonagh, Sean MacDermott, Joseph Plunkett & Eamonn Ceannt All of the above men were executed by the British Government for their efforts in trying to secure a free Ireland! The names of those who died or were executed (* means executed) Padraig Pearse * Awaiting freedom from my motherï¿½s womb At Resurrection time, some glint of rebel steel Pierced deep my soul, so deep That fifty years have not erased the thrill The names of Pearse and Plunkett, Clarke, MacDonagh, Connolly Ceannt and Sean Mac Diarmada arouse, Of freedom born in blood.

Wresting freedom from a tyrantï¿½s hand Had often been essayed on Irelandï¿½s soil. Essayed at cost, at bitter cost By men of eager hearts and giant mind, yet still Each century brought fourthThe poets, princes of pen, To thrill with their philosophy A nationï¿½s captive hearts. No lust of blood inflamed the freedom verse To turn the ploughshare to the sword; They unlocked hearts, e'en timid hearts To dreams undreamt of within captive breasts, And set vast floods of liberty afloat Upon a sea too long content With anchored hopes, Who can recall an Emmet or a Tone, A Mitchel or a Davitt or Devoy, Without a glorious surging of the blood And anticipation of emancipation Just tribute must be paid by Freedmen to felon's heirs. Half a century ago our resurrection came Heralded by another name, the name of Pearse, An Apollo with a quiver of words, Music-tipped arrows to reach the very souls Of those who longed and longed for freedom's balm; Gentle leader of a quiet few Who braved a tyrant's might To make a bondman free.

Let me praise him who close by Rossaï¿½s grave Praised the virtue of a valiant man From a heart and tongue pregnant then With death-decision made for A man whose spiritual eye could see the joy Of a ladybird upon a stalk, Or a rabbit in a field at play. There were no deaths in Dublin on that Easter day some fifty years ago- Such music makers cannot die As many mercenary soldiers do With battles lost or won. They have but set the music to a song That ever holds us bound, Yet leaves us ever free. Like Pearse or Plunkett, DOMINIC CRILLY The Liberation Irish liberation (for 26 out of 32 counties) from British rule was achieved as the result of a struggle extending over several centuries and marked by numerous rebellions. Following the Easter Rebellion, an uprising of Irish nationalists on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, Sinn Fï¿½in became the most influential political party in Ireland.

This party, founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith , a Dublin journalist, campaigned in the parliamentary election of 1918 on a program that called for the severance of all ties with Great Britain, an end to the separatist movement in northern Ireland, and the establishment of an Irish republic. Candidates of Sinn Fï¿½in won 73 of the 106 seats allotted to Ireland in the British Parliament. The Irish Revolution (1919-22) In January 1919 the Sinn Fï¿½in members of Parliament assembled in Dublin as the Dï¿½il ï¿½ireann, or national assembly. Proclaiming the independence of Ireland, the Dï¿½il forthwith formed a government, with Eamon De Valera as president. There followed guerrilla attacks by Irish insurgents, later called the Irish Republican Army ( IRA ), on British forces, particularly the Royal Irish Constabulary, called the Black and Tans; and the British instituted vigorous reprisals.

In the course of the war, the British Parliament enacted, in December 1920, a Home Rule Bill, providing separate parliaments for six counties of Ulster Province and for the remainder of Ireland. By the terms of the bill, Great Britain retained effective control of Irish affairs. The people of Northern Ireland, as the six counties in Ulster Province were known, ratified the legislation in May 1921 and elected a parliament. Although the rest of Ireland also elected a parliament in May, the Sinn Feiners, constituting an overwhelming majority outside of Ulster, refused to recognise the other provisions of the Home Rule Bill. The warfare against the British continued until July 10, 1921, when a truce was arranged. Subsequent negotiations led to the signing, in December 1921, of a peace treaty by representatives of the second Dï¿½il ï¿½ireann and the British government. By the terms of the treaty, all of Ireland except the six counties constituting Northern Ireland was to receive dominion status identical with that of Canada.

After considerable debate, in which the opposition, led by De Valera, objected strenuously to a provision that virtually guaranteed a separate government in Northern Ireland and to an article that required members of the Dï¿½il to swear allegiance to the British sovereign, the Dï¿½il ratified the treaty on January 15, 1922, by a vote of 64 to 57. Ratification brought into being the Irish Free State, with Arthur Griffith as president and Michael Collins , who was another prominent member of Sinn Fï¿½in, as chairman of the provisional government. The Irish Free State (1922-37) Under the leadership of De Valera, the dissident Sinn Fï¿½in group, termed the Republicans and later known as Fianna Fï¿½il, called for a resumption of the struggle against Great Britain and instituted a campaign, including insurrectionary acts, against the provisional government. With the question of the treaty the chief issue, an election for a provisional Dï¿½il was held in June 1922. Candidates supporting the treaty won a majority of the seats.

The Republicans, refusing to recognise the authority of the new Dï¿½il, proclaimed a rival government and intensified their attacks on the Irish Free State. In the course of the ensuing struggle, hundreds were killed on both sides, and many prominent Republican leaders were executed. while, the Dï¿½il, headed now by William Thomas Cosgrave , drafted a constitution providing for a bicameral legislature (Dï¿½il and Saenad, or senate), which was adopted on October 11, 1922. Following approval by the British Parliament, it became operative on December 6. The official government of the Irish Free State was instituted at once, with Cosgrave assuming office as president of the executive council. In April 1923 the Republicans declared a truce in hostilities in order to participate in the forthcoming national elections, and public order was gradually restored. Neither the Sinn Fï¿½in party nor the Republican party secured a majority in the elections held late in August 1923. The Republicans boycotted the Dï¿½il, however, and Cosgrave, supported by a coalition of parties, retained power.

The boundary between the Free State and Northern Ireland was established in December 1925. During the next few years, agreement was reached with the British government on various mutual problems, and the national economy was substantially strengthened by a series of measures, including the initiation of a hydroelectric project on the Shannon River. Although the Republicans gradually increased their representation in the Dï¿½il during this period, they continued their boycott until August 1927. They then assumed their 57 seats in the newly elected Dï¿½il. Partly as a result of the failure of the government to cope with domestic difficulties brought on by the world economic crisis of the early 1930s, Cosgrave's party lost several seats to the Republicans in the elections of February 1932. De Valera thereupon became head of the government. Legislation that he sponsored in the following April included provisions for the abrogation of the oath of allegiance to the British crown. This bill, which also would have virtually ended the political ties between Great Britain and the Free State, received the approval of the Dï¿½il, but was rejected, in effect, by the Saenad.

In his next move against the British, De Valera withheld payment of certain land purchase annuities that the British claimed were legally due them. The withholding of the payment of annuities led to a protracted tariff war between the two countries, with serious damage to the economy of the Free State. In another significant move, De Valera secured repeal of a law restricting the activities of the IRA. The electorate registered approval of his program in elections held in January 1933, in which a majority of Republicans were returned to the Dï¿½il. With this mandate from the people, De Valera systematically developed his program for the gradual elimination of British influence in Irish affairs, obtaining abrogation of the oath of allegiance, restrictions on the role of the governor-general who represented the British crown, and other measures. Simultaneously, the government initiated measures designed to give the country a self-sufficient economy. Steps taken included high income taxes on the rich, high protective tariffs, and control of foreign capital invested in Irish industry. In June 1935, De Valera severed his political ties with the IRA, which had been extremely critical of many of his policies, and imprisoned a number of its leaders.

It became general knowledge, meanwhile, that the draft of a new constitution was in progress. In 1936 the Republicans, in coalition with other groups in the Dï¿½il, finally secured passage of legislation abolishing the Saenad, long inimical to De Valera's policies. The Dï¿½il functioned as a unicameral legislature for the remainder of its term. In connection with the events surrounding the abdication of Edward VIII, king of Great Britain, the Dï¿½il enacted in 1936 a bill that deleted all references to the king from the constitution of the Free State and abolished the office of governor-general. Parallel legislation, which was known as the External Relations Act of 1936, restricted the association of the Free State with the British Commonwealth of Nations to joint action on certain questions involving external policy, specifically the approval of the trade treaties of the Free State and the appointment of its foreign envoys in the name of the British crown. ï¿½ire (1937-49) The 5-year term of office of the Dï¿½il expired in June 1937.

In the subsequent election the Republican party won a plurality of the seats in the Dï¿½il. The new constitution, which abolished the Irish Free State and established ï¿½ire as a 'Sovereign independent democratic state,' was approved by the voters in a plebiscite conducted simultaneously with the election. This document provided for a new senate of 60 members. Although the constitution specifically applied to all Ireland, it provided that the laws of ï¿½ire should be executed, pending unification with Northern Ireland, only within the territory of the republic. The constitution contained no references to the British sovereign or to the Commonwealth of Nations. A subsequent statement by De Valera indicated, however, that ï¿½ire's relations with Great Britain would be governed by the External Relations Act of 1936. In 1938 the Irish writer and patriot Douglas Hyde became the first president of ï¿½ire, and De Valera became prime minister. Through a treaty adopted in April 1938, the tariff war between ï¿½ire and Great Britain was concluded.

The latter agreed to withdraw its forces from naval bases in ï¿½ire, and ï¿½ire agreed to a settlement of the annuities owed to Great Britain. The slight improvement in relations between the two nations was marred by a violent terrorist campaign in Great Britain conducted by the IRA. ï¿½ire maintained neutrality in World War II, although many thousands of Irish citizens joined the Allied forces or worked in British war industry. In the immediate post-war era, the economic dislocations in Great Britain and Europe subjected the economy of ï¿½ire to severe strains, resulting in a period of rapid inflation and, indirectly, in the defeat of Fianna Fï¿½il in the elections of February 1948. De Valera was defeated in the Dï¿½il for the prime ministry by John Aloysius Costello , candidate of a six-party coalition opposed to Fianna Fï¿½il. Costello, a former attorney general, called for lower prices and taxes, the expansion of industrial production, and closer commercial relations with Great Britain.

Republic of Ireland On Easter Monday, April 18, 1949, by the terms of the Republic of Ireland Bill approved by the Dï¿½il in November 1948, ï¿½ire became the Republic of Ireland, formally free of allegiance to the British crown and the Commonwealth of Nations. In the following month, the British Parliament approved a bill continuing the status of Northern Ireland as a part of Great Britain and extending to citizens of the republic resident in Britain the same rights as British citizens. Similar legal provision was made by the ï¿½ire government in respect of British citizens resident in ï¿½ire. The republic became a member of the United Nations on December 14, 1955, when the General Assembly approved the admission of 4 communist and 12 non-communist nations. Economic Gains Although inflation and an unfavourable balance of trade remained difficult problems, Ireland made significant strides toward economic stability through the 1950s and '60s. In 1964 the government completed a five-year plan of economic development, which exceeded its goals. A feature of the program was the offer of tax incentives to foreign investors.

Partly as a result of such programs, the rate of economic growth increased from about 1 percent per year in the 1950s to more than 4.5 percent in the late 1960s. It was officially reported in 1964 that more than 200 factories had begun production since 1955, most of them with foreign participation. A second plan began that year with a goal by 1970 of a net increase of 50 percent in the gross national product over the 1960 level. The improving economic circumstances were regarded as the main cause of a decline in emigration, ending a population decline that had continued unabated for more than a century. Political Developments With economic stability came a new measure of political stability and a decline in traditional anti-British feeling. As early as 1957 Prime Minister Costello, who regarded the terrorist activities of the IRA as damaging to relations with Great Britain and tending to prolong the partition of Ireland, had called for forceful action against the organisation.

Costello was defeated for reelection, but early in 1958 his successor, De Valera, publicly agreed that unity could not be achieved by force. In June 1959, De Valera, at the age of 77, was elected president, and Seï¿½n Francis Lemass (1899-1971), deputy prime minister, became prime minister. Opposition to IRA activity, plus a decline in the active membership, led to the announcement in February 1962 that the group had abandoned violence. Nevertheless, Ireland continued to suffer occasional acts of terrorism. In 1966 Prime Minister Lemass resigned. The Fianna Fï¿½il won the ensuing elections, and John Mary Lynch became prime minister. To reduce unemployment and increase exports, he tried to build up industry in order. An increase of violence between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland was followed by IRA terrorist activity in the Irish Republic. In 1971 the Dï¿½il banned the purchase or holding of arms for use outside Ireland. In 1972 the government required the surrender of all firearms.

Also in early 1972 Ireland signed a treaty joining the European Community, effective January 1, 1973, a move favored by 83 percent of the voters; and, by referendum, ended the special constitutional status of the Roman Catholic church. Shifts in Power Hoping to strengthen his party, Lynch called elections in February 1973. A coalition of the Fine Gael and Labour parties gained a slim majority, however, and Fine Gael leader Liam Cosgrave became prime minister. Fianna Fï¿½il returned to power in a government headed by Lynch in 1977, in 1979 Lynch was replaced by Charles Haughey (1925- ). In the late 1970s and early '80s the Irish government faced increased domestic terrorism by extremist Irish nationalists. Ireland also had a high rate of inflation and suffered some economic dislocation from membership in the European Community. Amid rising unemployment, elections were held in 1981, and the coalition government was led briefly by Garret FitzGerald (1926- ), head of Fine Gael.

Inconclusive elections in February 1982 returned Haughey to power, but another election, in late 1982, brought FitzGerald back. In 1985 FitzGerald signed a pact with Great Britain giving the Irish Republic a consultative role in governing Northern Ireland. The collapse of the FitzGerald government in January 1987 led to new elections one month later. Haughey won a single-vote majority in the Dï¿½il ï¿½ireann and became prime minister once again. FitzGerald subsequently resigned as Fine Gael leader. After inconclusive elections in June 1989, Haughey formed a new coalition government. In November 1990, Mary Robinson (1944- ), a feminist lawyer who ran with Labour and Workers' party backing, became the first woman ever to win election as president of Ireland. Haughey resigned as prime minister and leader of Fianna Fï¿½il in early 1992, amid allegations of scandal; his former finance minister, Albert Reynolds (1932- ), was chosen to replace him.

In June, Irish voters ratified a treaty strengthening political and monetary integration within the European Community.

Question: Who was the first female president of the Republic of Ireland, elected in 1990?
Answer: MARY ROBINSON