List of female speakers of national and territorial unicameral parliaments

This list presents female speakers of national and territorial unicameral parliaments of their respective nations or territories.[1] Many women have been elected to parliaments around the world, starting around the first quarter of 20th century. Some of them were entrusted to take the position of Speaker of the parliament.

In government, unicameralism (Latin uni, one + camera, chamber) is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house. Unicameral legislatures typically exist in small and homogeneous unitary states, where a second chamber is considered unnecessary.

National
  Denotes incumbent speaker of parliament

Italics denotes an acting speaker of parliament and states that are either de facto (with limited to no international recognition) or defunct.

Name Image Country Legislative Body Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Erzsébet Metzker Vass  Hungary National Assembly 21 March 1963 14 April 1967 4 years, 24 days
Soong Ching-ling  China, People's Republic of National People's Congress 6 July 1976 5 March 1978 1 year, 242 days
Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo  São Tomé and Príncipe National Assembly 1980 1991 11 years, 0 days
Marie Davis Pierre  Dominica House of Assembly 13 August 1980 29 December 1988 8 years, 138 days
Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 1981 1 October 1981 183 days
Maria Julia Castillo Rodas  El Salvador Legislative Assembly 1983 1985 2 years, 0 days
Gloriana Ranocchini  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 1984 1 October 1984 183 days
Rosemary Karspinsky Dodero  Costa Rica Legislative Assembly 1 May 1986 1 May 1987 1 year, 0 days
Guðrún Helgadóttir  Iceland United Althing 1 January 1988 1 January 1991 3 years, 0 days
Erna Hennicot-Schoepges  Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies 1989 1995 6 years, 0 days
Gloriana Ranocchini  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 1989 1 April 1990 182 days
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl  East Germany Volkskammer 5 April 1990 2 October 1990 180 days
Elmira Gafarova  Azerbaijan National Assembly 18 May 1990 5 March 1992 1 year, 292 days
Salome Þorkelsdóttir  Iceland Althing 1991 1995 4 years, 0 days
Edda Ceccoli  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 1991 1 April 1992 183 days
Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl  Norway Storting 1993 2001 8 years, 0 days
Patrizia Busignani  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 1993 1 October 1993 183 days
Neva Edwards  Dominica House of Assembly 1 November 1993 2 August 1995 1 year, 274 days
Balbina Herrera  Panama National Assembly 1994 1995 1 year, 0 days
Gloria Salguero Gross  El Salvador Legislative Assembly 1994 1997 3 years, 0 days
Riitta Uosukainen  Finland Eduskunta 7 February 1994 23 March 1995 1 year, 44 days
Birgitta Dahl  Sweden Riksdag 3 October 1994 30 September 2002 7 years, 362 days
Riitta Uosukainen  Finland Eduskunta 21 April 1995 23 March 1999 3 years, 336 days
Martha Chávez  Peru Congress of the Republic 27 July 1995 26 July 1996 365 days
Ilga Kreituse  Latvia Saeima 7 November 1995 26 September 1996 324 days
Myriam Spiteri Debono  Malta House of Representatives September 1996 August 1998 1 year, 334 days
Marijke Djwalapersad  Suriname National Assembly 10 October 1996 23 July 2000 3 years, 287 days
Rosa Zafferani  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 1999 1 October 1999 183 days
Riitta Uosukainen  Finland Eduskunta 20 April 1999 18 March 2003 3 years, 332 days
Martha Hildebrandt  Peru Congress of the Republic 27 July 1999 13 November 2000 1 year, 109 days
Maria Domenica Michelotti  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2000 1 October 2000 183 days
Alix Boyd Knights  Dominica House of Assembly 17 April 2000 10 February 2020 19 years, 299 days
Rina Contreras López  Costa Rica Legislative Assembly 1 May 2000 1 May 2001 1 year, 0 days
Susana González Muñoz  Ecuador National Congress 10 August 2000 20 August 2001 10 days
Luz Salgado  Peru Congress of the Republic 13 November 2000 16 November 2000 3 days
Eugenia Ostapciuc  Moldova Parliament 20 March 2001 24 March 2005 4 years, 4 days
Vesna Perović  Montenegro Parliament 7 June 2001 5 November 2002 1 year, 151 days
Nino Burjanadze  Georgia Parliament 9 November 2001 7 June 2008 6 years, 211 days
Nataša Mićić  Serbia National Assembly 6 December 2001 27 January 2004 2 years, 52 days
Katalin Szili  Hungary National Assembly 15 May 2002 14 September 2009 7 years, 122 days
Ingrīda Ūdre  Latvia Saeima 5 November 2002 7 November 2006 4 years, 2 days
Anneli Jäätteenmäki  Finland Eduskunta 25 March 2003 16 April 2003 22 days
Ene Ergma  Estonia Riigikogu 31 March 2003 23 March 2006 2 years, 357 days
Liisa Jaakonsaari  Finland Eduskunta 17 April 2003 22 April 2003 5 days
Valeria Ciavatta  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 2003 1 April 2004 183 days
Lilijana Popovska  Macedonia, Republic of Assembly of the Republic 8 November 2003 18 November 2003 10 days
Marcella Liburd  Saint Kitts and Nevis National Assembly 2004 18 April 2008 4 years, 108 days
Fatma Ekenoglu  Northern Cyprus Assembly of the Republic 14 January 2004 6 May 2009 5 years, 112 days
Anna Benaki-Psarouda  Greece Vouli 19 March 2004 18 August 2007 3 years, 152 days
Margaret Wilson  New Zealand House of Representatives 3 March 2005 8 November 2008 3 years, 250 days
Fausta Morganti  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2005 1 October 2005 183 days
Jozefina Topalli  Albania Parliament 3 September 2005 10 September 2013 8 years, 7 days
Dalia Itzik  Israel Knesset 28 March 2006 10 March 2009 2 years, 347 days
Belinda Bidwell  Gambia National Assembly 20 April 2006 5 February 2007 291 days
Mercedes Cabanillas  Peru Congress of the Republic 27 July 2006 26 July 2007 364 days
Cilia Flores  Venezuela National Assembly 15 August 2006 5 January 2011 4 years, 143 days
Akja Nuberdiyeva  Turkmenistan Assembly 22 December 2006 30 March 2018 11 years, 98 days
Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay  Gambia National Assembly 5 February 2007 12 November 2010 3 years, 280 days
Ene Ergma  Estonia Riigikogu 2 April 2007 20 March 2014 6 years, 352 days
Rosa Zafferani  San Marino Captain Regent 1 April 2008 1 October 2008 183 days
Slavica Đukić Dejanović  Serbia National Assembly 25 June 2008 31 May 2012 3 years, 341 days
Assunta Meloni  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 2008 1 April 2009 182 days
Joyce Bamford-Addo[2][3]  Ghana Parliament 7 January 2009 6 January 2013 3 years, 365 days
Ásta Ragnheiður Jóhannesdóttir  Iceland Althing 15 May 2009 23 May 2013 4 years, 8 days
Tsetska Tsacheva  Bulgaria National Assembly 14 July 2009 13 March 2013 3 years, 180 days
Irena Degutienė  Lithuania Seimas 15 September 2009 14 September 2012 2 years, 365 days
Margaret Nasha  Botswana National Assembly 21 October 2009 12 November 2014 5 years, 22 days
Verónica Macamo  Mozambique Assembly of the Republic 12 January 2010 13 January 2020 10 years, 1 day
Jennifer Simons  Suriname National Assembly 30 June 2010 28 June 2020 9 years, 364 days
Solvita Āboltiņa  Latvia Saeima 2 November 2010 4 November 2014 4 years, 2 days
Anne Makinda  Tanzania National Assembly 12 November 2010 17 November 2015 5 years, 5 days
Pany Yathotou  Laos National Assembly 23 December 2010 Incumbent 10 years, 45 days
Maria Luisa Berti  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2011 1 October 2011 183 days
Rebecca Kadaga  Uganda Parliament 19 May 2011 Incumbent 9 years, 263 days
Maria da Assunção Esteves  Portugal Assembly of the Republic 21 June 2011 23 October 2015 4 years, 124 days
Denise Bronzetti  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 2012 1 April 2013 182 days
Halimah Yacob  Singapore Parliament 14 January 2013 7 August 2017 4 years, 205 days
Antonella Mularoni  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2013 1 October 2013 183 days
Liliana Palihovici  Moldova Parliament 25 April 2013 30 May 2013 35 days
Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury  Bangladesh Jatiyo Sangshad 30 April 2013 Incumbent 7 years, 282 days
Gabriela Rivadeneira  Ecuador National Assembly 14 May 2013 14 May 2017 4 years, 0 days
Sibel Siber  Northern Cyprus Assembly of the Republic 4 September 2013 22 January 2018 4 years, 140 days
Anna Maria Muccioli  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 2013 1 April 2014 182 days
Loreta Graužinienė  Lithuania Seimas 3 October 2013 14 November 2016 3 years, 42 days
Valeria Ciavatta  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2014 1 October 2014 183 days
Maja Gojković  Serbia National Assembly 23 April 2014 21 June 2020 6 years, 59 days
Ana María Solórzano  Peru Congress of the Republic 26 July 2014 26 July 2015 1 year, 0 days
Jiko Luveni  Fiji Parliament 6 October 2014 22 December 2018 4 years, 77 days
Tsetska Tsacheva  Bulgaria National Assembly 27 October 2014 26 January 2017 2 years, 91 days
Ināra Mūrniece  Latvia Saeima 4 November 2014 Incumbent 6 years, 94 days
Gladys Kokorwe  Botswana National Assembly 12 November 2014 4 November 2019 4 years, 357 days
Maya Hanoomanjee  Mauritius National Assembly 22 December 2014 21 November 2019 4 years, 334 days
Zoe Konstantopoulou  Greece Vouli 6 February 2015 4 October 2015 240 days
Lorena Guadalupe Peña  El Salvador Legislative Assembly 14 May 2015 8 November 2016 1 year, 178 days
Maria Lohela  Finland Eduskunta 29 May 2015 5 February 2018 2 years, 252 days
Pia Kjærsgaard  Denmark Folketing 3 July 2015 21 June 2019 3 years, 353 days
Lorella Stefanelli  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 2015 1 April 2016 183 days
Onsari Gharti Magar    Nepal Legislature Parliament 16 October 2015 19 January 2018 2 years, 95 days
Amal Al Qubaisi  United Arab Emirates Federal National Council 18 November 2015 14 November 2019 3 years, 361 days
Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân  Vietnam National Assembly 31 March 2016 Incumbent 4 years, 312 days
Hadiya Khalaf Abbas  Syria People's Council 6 June 2016 20 July 2017 1 year, 44 days
Luz Salgado  Peru Congress of the Republic 26 July 2016 26 July 2017 1 year, 0 days
Iris Marina Blandón  Nicaragua National Assembly 10 September 2016 9 January 2017 121 days
Unnur Brá Konráðsdóttir  Iceland Althing 24 January 2017 28 October 2017 277 days
Mimma Zavoli  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2017 1 October 2017 183 days
Vanessa D'Ambrosio  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2017 1 October 2017 183 days
Mariam Jack-Denton  Gambia National Assembly 11 April 2017 Incumbent 3 years, 301 days
Yanibel Ábrego  Panama National Assembly 1 July 2017 1 July 2018 1 year, 0 days
Valentina Leskaj  Albania Parliament 24 July 2017 9 September 2017 47 days
Marija Ćatović  Montenegro Parliament 7 November 2017 24 November 2017 17 days
Tsveta Karayancheva  Bulgaria National Assembly 17 November 2017 Incumbent 3 years, 81 days
Paula Risikko  Finland Eduskunta 5 February 2018 16 April 2019 1 year, 70 days
Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen  Norway Storting 15 March 2018 Incumbent 2 years, 328 days
Elizabeth Cabezas  Ecuador National Assembly 14 March 2018 14 May 2019 1 year, 61 days
Gülşat Mämmedowa  Turkmenistan Assembly 30 March 2018 Incumbent 2 years, 313 days
Muferiat Kamil  Ethiopia House of Peoples' Representatives 19 April 2018 18 October 2018 182 days
Yawa Djigbodi Tségan  Togo National Assembly 23 January 2019 Incumbent 1 year, 243 days
Carolina Hidalgo Herrera  Costa Rica Legislative Assembly 1 May 2018 30 April 2019 364 days
Roser Suñé Pascuet  Andorra General Council 2 May 2019 Incumbent 1 year, 280 days
Zinaida Greceanîi  Moldova Parliament 8 June 2019 Incumbent 1 year, 243 days
Catherine Gotani Hara  Malawi National Assembly 19 June 2019 Incumbent 1 year, 232 days
Mariella Mularoni  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 October 2019 1 April 2020 183 days
Esperança Bias  Mozambique Assembly of the Republic 13 January 2020 Incumbent 1 year, 24 days
Vjosa Osmani  Kosovo Assembly of the Republic 3 February 2020 Incumbent 1 year, 3 days
Sahiba Gafarova  Azerbaijan National Assembly 10 March 2020 Incumbent 333 days
Grazia Zafferani  San Marino Grand and General Council 1 April 2020 Incumbent 311 days
Tangariki Reete  Kiribati House of Assembly 22 May 2020 Incumbent 260 days
Anu Vehviläinen  Finland Eduskunta 9 June 2020 Incumbent 242 days
Smilja Tišma  Serbia National Assembly 3 August 2020 22 October 2020 80 days
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen  Lithuania Congress 13 November 2020 Incumbent 85 days
Rocío Silva-Santisteban  Peru Congress 15 November 2020 16 November 2020 1 day
Mirtha Vásquez
(interim)		  Peru Congress 17 November 2020 Incumbent 83 days
Rochelle Forde  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines House of Assembly 30 November 2020 Incumbent 68 days

Territorial
  Denotes incumbent speaker of parliament

Italics denotes an acting speaker of parliament

Name Image Country Legislative Body Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Marguerite Story  Cook Islands Parliament 1965 1979 14 years, 0 days
Ruby M. Rouss  United States Virgin Islands Legislature 1981 1982 1 year, 0 days
Ruby M. Rouss  United States Virgin Islands Legislature January 1987 March 1987 59 days
Rosita Beatrice Missick-Butterfield  Turks and Caicos Islands House of Assembly 1991 1993 2 years, 364 days[4]
Sybil I. McLaughlin  Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly 15 February 1991 November 1996 5 years, 260 days
Anabela Ritchie  Macau Legislative Assembly 20 April 1992 20 December 1999 7 years, 244 days
Lillian Oh  Christmas Island Shire Council 1 July 1992 1995 2 years, 184 days
Margie Sudre  Réunion Regional Council 25 June 1993 23 March 1998 4 years, 271 days
Marita Petersen  Faroe Islands Løgting 1994 1995 1 year, 0 days
Lorraine L. Berry  United States Virgin Islands Legislature 1997 1998 1 year, 0 days
Emily Augusta Saunders  Turks and Caicos Islands House of Assembly 1998 1999 1 year, 364 days[5]
Rita Fan  Hong Kong Legislative Council 2 July 1998 30 September 2008 10 years, 90 days
Susana Chou  Macau Legislative Assembly 20 December 1999 15 October 2009 9 years, 299 days
Lucette Taero  French Polynesia Assembly 17 May 2001 3 June 2004 3 years, 17 days
Viveka Eriksson  Åland Islands Lagtinget 2001 2005 4 years, 0 days
Anne Mitchell-Gift  Tobago House of Assembly 2001 24 January 2013 12 years, 23 days
Julianna O'Connor-Connolly  Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly November 2001 October 2003 1 year, 334 days
V. Inez Archibald  British Virgin Islands House of Assembly 2003 2007 4 years, 0 days
Nassimah Dindar  Réunion Departamental Council 1 April 2004 2 April 2015 11 years, 1 day
Brenda Christian  Pitcairn Islands Island Council 8 November 2004 15 December 2004 37 days
Lorraine L. Berry  United States Virgin Islands Legislature 2005 2007 2 years, 0 days
Barbro Sundback  Åland Landtag 2005 2007 2 years, 0 days
Edna Moyle  Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly 18 May 2005 27 May 2009 4 years, 9 days
Eileen Bell  Northern Ireland Assembly 8 May 2007 8 May 2007 0 days
Margaret Anne Catherine Hopkins  Saint Helena Legislative Council 2008 13 April 2017 9 years, 102 days
Ruth Heilmann  Greenland Inatsisartut 2008 2009 1 year, 0 days
Judith Won Pat  Guam Liheslaturan Guåhan 7 March 2008 2 January 2017 8 years, 301 days
Marthe Ogoundélé-Tessi  Saint Martin Territorial Council 25 July 2008 8 August 2008 14 days
Mary J. Lawrence  Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly 27 May 2009 29 May 2013 4 years, 2 days
Barbara Webster-Bourne  Anguilla House of Assembly 27 February 2010 11 May 2015 5 years, 73 days
Robin-Eleanor Adams  Norfolk Island Norfolk Legislative Assembly 24 March 2010 20 March 2013 2 years, 361 days
Teresina Bodkin  Montserrat Legislative Council 16 April 2010 2014 3 years, 260 days
Josette Manin  Martinique General Council 31 March 2011 18 December 2015 4 years, 262 days
Rosemary Butler  Wales National Assembly 11 May 2011 11 May 2016 5 years, 0 days
Tricia Marwick  Scotland Parliament 11 May 2011 12 May 2016 5 years, 1 day
Clare Christian  Isle of Man Tynwald and Legislative Council 12 July 2011 19 July 2016 5 years, 7 days
Britt Lundberg  Åland Islands Lagtinget 28 November 2011 28 November 2015 4 years, 0 days
Ingrid Moses-Scatliffe  British Virgin Islands House of Assembly 8 December 2011 12 March 2019 7 years, 94 days
Niki Rattle  Cook Islands Parliament 22 May 2012 Incumbent 8 years, 260 days
Nivaleta Iloai  Wallis and Futuna Territorial Assembly 1 April 2013 11 December 2013 254 days
Aline Hanson  Saint Martin Territorial Council 17 April 2013 2 April 2017 3 years, 350 days
Julianna O'Connor-Connolly  Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly 29 May 2013 24 May 2017 3 years, 360 days
Sarah Wescot-Williams  Sint Maarten Staten 10 October 2014 13 November 2014 34 days
Shirley Osborne  Montserrat Legislative Council 23 January 2015 17 December 2019 4 years, 328 days
Josette Borel-Lincertin  Guadeloupe Departmental Council 2 April 2015 Incumbent 5 years, 310 days
Nassimah Dindar  Réunion Departmental Council 2 April 2015 2 October 2017 2 years, 183 days
Sarah Wescot-Williams  Sint Maarten Staten 12 October 2015 31 October 2016 1 year, 19 days
Elin Jones  Wales National Assembly 11 May 2016 Incumbent 4 years, 271 days
Vanessa Cutting-Thomas  Tobago House of Assembly 28 April 2016 26 January 2017 273 days
Sarah Wescot-Williams  Sint Maarten Staten 24 November 2016 22 September 2019 2 years, 302 days
Giselle McWilliams  Curaçao Staten 16 January 2017 17 February 2017 32 days
Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus  Tobago House of Assembly 26 January 2017 21 November 2019 2 years, 299 days
Seri Wati Iku  Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council 25 October 2017 23 October 2019 1 year, 363 days
Fofo Tuisano  Tokelau General Fono 10 March 2018 Incumbent 2 years, 333 days
Vivian Motzfeldt  Greenland Inatsisartut 3 October 2018 Incumbent 2 years, 126 days
Tina Rose Muña Barnes  Guam Liheslaturan Guåhan 7 January 2019 Incumbent 2 years, 30 days
Teresina Bodkin  Montserrat Legislative Assembly 17 December 2019 Incumbent 1 year, 51 days
Vanessa Cutting-Thomas  Tobago House of Assembly 19 December 2019 25 September 2020[6] 281 days
Barbara Webster-Bourne  Anguilla House of Assembly 17 July 2020 Incumbent 204 days

See also

References
  1. http://guide2womenleaders.com/Vice-Presidents.htm
  2. "Joyce Bamford-Addo | Inner Temple". 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  3. Cynthia Boakye (8 January 2009). "Ghana records another first. Justice Bamford Addo is first Female Speaker". Business News. Statesman Online. Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  4. "The life and times of Dr Rosita Butterfield". Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: Turks & Caicos Weekly News. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  5. "PRZEWODNICZĄCE PARLAMENTÓW 1991-2000" (in Polish). Warsaw, Poland: SMOLEC. 2000. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  6. Williams, Elizabeth. "Presiding Officer Resigns". Caribbean Communications Network. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.