With Droupadi Murmu set to become India’s first female tribal president, here’s a look at some of the most influential and powerful women in Asia — past and present
If all goes as planned, India may finally get its first tribal President and second woman president in Droupadi Murmu.
The former Jharkhand governor was named as the presidential candidate by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and will most likely be elected as the 15th president of India, if the numbers game holds up.
After the announcement of Murmu, who hails from a Santhal village in Odisha’s remote Mayurbhanj district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Murmu has “devoted her life to serving society” and said he is “confident she will be a great President”.
If elected, Murmu will be the second woman President after Pratibha Patil (2007-12), who was backed by the United Progressive Alliance.
Here’s a look at how Asia is no stranger to women leaders — be it from Sri Lanka’s Sirimavo Bandaranaike to Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sri Lanka’s Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the first woman to become head of government in a modern state back in 1960. She served three terms: 1960-1965, 1970-1977 and 1994-2000.
Her ascent to the top post in Sri Lanka came after her husband, who became prime minister in 1956, was assassinated in 1959.
Bandaranaike carried on her husband’s program of socialist economic policies, neutrality in international relations, and the active encouragement of the Buddhist religion and of the Sinhalese language and culture.
She also was the prime minister when Ceylon became the Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.
Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi has the honour of being India’s first and only female prime minister. She served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977, and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. With this, she also earns the honour of becoming the second-longest serving prime minister of the country so far.
Her first taste with power came when she joined the Lal Bahadur Shastri Cabinet as the information and broadcasting minister in early July 1964 and got elected to the Rajya Sabha in August 1964. It was after this that she contested the 1967 general elections from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and won by 91,703 votes.
It was in her rule that India defeated Pakistan in the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. She is also responsible for imposing Emergency in India for a period of 21 months in 1967, which saw subversion of fundamental rights and liberties.
On 31 October 1984 she was assassinated by her own bodyguards.
Indira Gandhi served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977, and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. AFP
Benazir Bhutto
In December 1988, Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto — who served as both president and prime minister, made history by becoming the first woman to become prime minister of Pakistan, often branded “deeply conservative” and “patriarchal”.
She not only was the first woman prime minister of Pakistan, but also the youngest prime minister in the world and first Muslim woman to hold a country’s highest office.
She served two terms as prime minister of Pakistan, from 1988 to 1990, and from 1993 to 1996. Benazir Bhutto was campaigning for a third term in 2007 when she was assassinated.
Sheikh Hasina
Daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the principal orchestrator of Bangladesh’s separation from Pakistan in 1971, Sheikh Hasina came to power in June 1996. While she isn’t the first female prime minister of Bangladesh — that honour goes to Khaleda Zia.
With four terms in her pocket, Sheikh Hasina is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh.
Despite being charged with crimes of corruption, she continues to enjoy power and was also ranked 43 in the Forbes’ list of power women in 2021.
With four terms in her pocket, Sheikh Hasina is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh. AFP
Pratibha Patil
A lawyer and long-time politician, Pratibha Patil was elected as President of India in 2007, making her the first woman President of the country. The BBC had called her election “a landmark for women in a country where millions routinely face violence, discrimination, and poverty.”
Prior to her holding the top position in the country, Patil also served as governor of Rajasthan in 2004.
Patil’s presidency was relatively quiet, but it was not without controversy, especially for her use of government funds. She was criticised for the large number of trips she took overseas, often accompanied by relatives. She also faced much opposition for her acquisition of land in Pune to construct her retirement home.
Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino served as the first female president (1986-92) of the Philippines, restoring democratic rule in that country after the long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
Interestingly, Aquino did not aspire to be a politician. Her husband Ninoy Aquino’s imprisonment, exile, and assassination spurred her on to join politics.
During her run for president, Ferdinand Marcos had derided her with sexist statements, saying she was “just a woman” whose place was in the bedroom.
She had then answered: “May the better woman win in this election.”
Her victory in the elections led her to become TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 1986. The only other woman that received that honour at the time was Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.
Aung San Suu Kyi
A one-time icon of democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) from 2016 to 2021.
In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, while still under house arrest, and hailed as “an outstanding example of the power of the powerless”.
While her image has suffered internationally due to her response to the crisis that befell Myanmar’s mostly Muslim Rohingya minority, she remains hugely popular with the country’s Buddhist majority.
Aung San Suu Kyi served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) from 2016 to 2021. AFP
Yingluck Shinawatra
Yingluck Shinawatra made history in 2011 when she became the first female prime minister of Thailand.
But she was plagued by criticism over her governance and links to her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Her time in office ended acrimoniously in early May 2014, when the constitutional court forced her to step down after finding her guilty of abusing her power.
The army later overthrew her government in a coup, and formed the present military-backed government of Thailand.
Park Geun Hye
Park Geun Hye was the first female president of South Korea from 2013-2017. She had long been in the spotlight of Korean society as the daughter of Park Chung-Hee, who was president of South Korea until his assassination in 1979.
Her critics contend that as president, she failed to make any advances against the challenges the country faced, including a weakening economy impaired by sluggish exports and rising household debt.
After her ouster, Park was found guilty on corruption charges and was sentenced to 25 years. She is currently imprisoned at the Seoul Detention Center.
With inputs from agencies
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