With all the talk of Hillary Clinton* as a possible future President of the US, it seems some of us have forgotten that other women are going for the top offices in their own countries! While Michelle Bachelet, Portia Simpson-Miller, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and other women have shows the world that women are more than capable of the Presidency, we still have so few women who have successfully risen to the top. That's why I was so excited to hear about Pratibha Patil (left), who is campaigning in India to become the first woman president in the republic's 60-year history.
Earlier this month, 50,000 women rallied to kick off Pratibha's campaign. At the rally, Pratibha called herself an advocate of women’s rights and expressed gratitude to her supporters, saying, "It is a moving experience for me to see such a vast number of women expressing their solidarity with me on this historic occasion."
Once in office, Pratibha will push for 33 percent of Parliamentary seats to be reserved for women, according to the newspaper The Hindu. Currently, one in six members of Parliament are women.
Though Pratibha's campaign is still in the early stages, it holds a promising future. Pratibha has received backing from India's ruling party, the United Progressive Alliance. On July 19, members of Parliament will vote to select the president -- a largely ceremonial role in India -- for the next five years.
The coming weeks promise to be exciting for the women of India--and women worldwide.
*Read the blog on Monday for reader's opinions on Hillary Clinton!
1 comment:
Excellent article.
Prathibha Patil the women president of India can do something. The Nexus between politics and terror will cause terrorism. As long as there are politicians who compromise the interests of the country only to gain/fulfill their personal interests, there is no hope of being a truely democratic country.
When the Laws are strict, punishment is swift and harsh, the administration who imparts/relays the govt to the people are faithful, you can set right all the loopholes of the systems.
When there is fear of strict punishment for wrong doing...no one dares to do it... Also, educating the people about their rights and priveleages, we CAN transform world.
People should change their attitude towards blinding following the 'so-called' leaders, who dont know how to 'lead by example'.
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