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Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
WOMAN
VICE
PREMIER MINISTERS
AND
DEPUTY CHIEFS OF GOVERNMENT
1920-1990
This
is a list of the women who have been deputy leaders of governments, some
with and some without the title of Deputy Premier. Many have been acting
Premier Ministers on various occasions.
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1939-43
Rozaliia Samoilovna Zemliachka, United Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR) |
| Also
known as Rozaliya Samoylovna Zalkind,
she was member of the Social Democratic Party
from 1898 and
member of it's Central Committee in 1903. Ative in the 1905
Moscow-revolution and in 1909 Secretary of the Party Organization in
Baku before immigrating. She returned during World War I, and during
the Civil War she was head of the political department of the 8th
and 13th armies. First Secretary of the Crimean
Party 1920-21 and one of the persons responsible for the blood bath
in the area. She held many high party posts before becoming member
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and Vice-President
of the Council of People's Commissars and in charge of State Control
of the Economy.
She lived (1876-1947). |
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1944 Wanda Wasilewska, Poland |
| Vice-Chairperson of PKWN -
Polish
Committee of National's Emancipation – The Temporary Polish Communist Government - which was in office 20.07-31.12. She was a writer, communist
activist, and Stalin's favourite, and lived (1905-64). |
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1949-52 Ana Pauker, Rumania |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs 1947-52 and Vice-Premier. Before that she had been Leader
of the Romanian Communists in USSR 1940-44 and circa 1940-53 Responsible for
the collectivizing of the Agriculture in the Politburo, 1944-56 Secretary
General of the Communist Party. She was born Rabinovici but changed her
name because of anti-Semitic sentiments, which eventually caused her down-fall. She
was daughter of Rabbi Hersch Kaufmann Robinsohn and lived (1893-1960) |
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1949-54 Song Qingling, China
|
|
After her tenure as Vice-Premier, she was Vice-Chairperson of the Republic 1954-75 and became Honorary
President of China shortly before her death. She lived (1893-1980). More
details in Presidents |
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1954-63 Ludmilla
Jankovcova, Czechoslovkia
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|
Before becoming Vice-Chair of the Council Ministers, she was Minister of Light
Industry, 1947-48 Minister of Food 1948-50 and
1950-54 Minister of Food Industry.
She lived (1897-1990). |
 |
1958 Tyyne
Leivo-Larsson, Finland
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|
1945-56
Deputy Mayor of Helsinki, 1945 Second Minister of Social Affairs for
Health, 1956-57 Second Minister of Social Affairs for Health. Apart from
being Vice-Premier in 1958 she was also Minister without Portfolio. 1958-66 Ambassador to Norway and Iceland
and 1966-70 Parliamentary Leader of
the Social Democratic Union. She lived (1902-77) |
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1961-67 Dr. Grete
Wittkowski, German Democratic Republic (DDR) |
|
Margarethe was
Vice-Chairperson of the Council of Ministers
in charge of Trade, Supply, and
Production of Consumer Goods 1961-67, President of the National Bank
1967-74 and Member of the
Council of Ministers in charge of Coordination of Supply, Production, Shopping
and Distribution of Consumer Goods for Daily Needs, External Depths and
Balance of Payment
1972-74 until her death. She was of Jewish origin
she studied and lived in Switzerland, France and United Kingdom since
1932, she worked with the Soviet Occupation Administration 1952-58, Member
of the Volkskammer 1952-58 and 1963-67, Vice-Chairperson of the State
Planning Commitee 1954-61. She lived (1901-74). |
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1968-70 Barbara Castle, United Kingdom of Great Britain |
Vice-Chairperson
1957-58 and Chairperson of Labour 1958-59, 1961 Leadership Candidate,1964-65 Minister of Overseas Development,
1965-68 Minister of Transport, 1968-70 First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Employment and
Productivity and third-ranking in the Cabinet,1974-76 Secretary of State of Social Security and Health
Vice-President of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament 1985-89,
Created Baroness Castle of Blackburn 1989 and is still a very active
member of the House of Lords until her death. She lived (1910-2002)
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1969-70 Sophie Madeleine
Lihau-Kanza, Congo-Kinghasa |
| Also
know as
Sophie Lihau-N’kanza or Zala Lusibu N’kanza, she was Secretary of State of Social Affairs 1966-67, Minister of
Social Affairs 1967-68, Minister of State (Deputy Premier) and Minister of Social
Affairs
1969-70. She lived (circa 1939-1999)
|
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1971-81 Agatha Barbara, Malta
|
| Her
country's first female MP 1947-82, She was third in Cabinet and on various brief occasions Acting Prime
Minister. President 1982-87.
See biography in Presidents. She
lived (1923-2002). |
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1975-77/78 Wu Guixian, China
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|
Before becoming Vice-Premier she was Deputy Secretary Between 1971-73 and
1973-76 Secretary of the Communist Party of Shaanxi, 1973-77 Member of the
Politburo. She disappeared in 1977. (b.
1937-?) |
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1977-79
Renuka Devi
Barkataki, India
(Third in the Cabinet) |
|
She was Minister of Culture,
Education and Social Welfare. |
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1978-82 Chen Muhua, China
|
|
Before becoming Vice-Premier she had been Vice-Minister of Economic
Relations with Foreign Countries 1971-78. 1977-82 she was Minister of
External Trade, 1981-82 Minister of Family Planning, 1982-88 Minister of
External Trade and of Economic Relations with Foreign Countries, 1988-93
State Councillor, 1988 Executive Chairperson of the 1st session of the 7th NPC, 1988-98 Vice-Chairperson of the National Peoples' Congress (NPC),
Former Chairperson of the People's Bank of China, The Central Bank. (b.
1933-) |
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1979-80 Flora I. MacDonald, Canada
1987-88 Acting Prime Minister (a number of days)
1986-89 (Third in Cabinet) |
|
Executive Director of the Progressive Conservative Party 1957-66, 1966-69 National Secretary of the Party, MP 1972-89 and 1976 she was candidate for the Leadership of the Social Credit Party 1979-80 Secretary of State for External Affairs (and second in the Cabinet),
1984-86 Minister of Labour and Immigration (Forth in cabinet) and 1986-89 Minister of Culture and Communication (b. 1926-)
|
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1980-84 Colette
Flesh, Luxembourg |
|
1970-80 Mayor of Luxembourg Ville, 1974-80 Secretary General and
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group and 1980-91 Chairperson of Parti
Democratique, 1980-84 Vice-Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs,
External Trade, Economy, the
Self Employed
and Justice,1984-90
President of The Federation of European Liberal Parties 1991-97 Director
General of The Directorate General of Information and 1997-99 Director
General of the General Directorate of Translation of the European Union.
And from 1999 again member of the European Parliament (b. 1934- ) |
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1980 Nicole Questiaux, France
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1980 Minister of State and
1981-83 Minister of Social Affairs. In 1963 she
became the first female member of the Council of State (Supreme Court) and
was member again from 1983.
Since 1988 President of the Section for Public Works, and from 2000
Vice-President of the Council d'Etat. (b. 1930-)
|
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1980-89
(†) Dr. Elena Ceauceascu, Romania
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1973-89 Member of the Politburo and 1979-89 Minister and Chairperson of the
Academy of Science and first Vice-Chairperson of the Council of Ministers.
Elena Ceauşescu
was in fact the de-facto leader of the country via her control of Securitate
and of her husband, Head of State and the Communist Party, Nicolai Ceauşescu,
who became more and more ill, and was believed to be his most likely successor.
They were both executed during the December-revolution of 1989. She lived
(1919-89) |
| 1980-82 Cornelia Filipas, Romania
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|
After her tenure as Vice-Chairperson
of the Council of Ministers,
she was Ambassador to Denmark 1982-89. |
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1981-circa
2002 Kim
Pok-sin, North-Korea
|
| 1958-66
Vice-Minister of Light Industry, 1966-69 Deputy Director of the Puongyang
Local General Bureau of Industry, 1971-81 Minister of Textile and Paper
Manufacturing Industry, from 1981 Vice-Chairperson
of the Council of Ministers and Chairperson of the Committee for Light
Industry. Also Alternate
member of the Politburo from 1983. (b. 1925-) |
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1982-83
Caroline Diop
Faye, Senegal |
1971-circa
84 Deputy President of the National Assembly.
1978-81 Minister of Social Affairs,
1981-83 Minister-Delegate by the Premier Minister and 1982-83 Minister of
State (Third in Cabinet)
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1983-88 Gunnevi Nordmann, Åland |
|
1980-88 Member of the Government for Education and Culture and 1984-88
Vicelantråd (Deputy Chief of Government). She was MP 1988-95, Chairperson
of the Law Committee 1988-91, Leader 1988-90 and Chairperson of the Liberal
Party on Åland 1990-96. 1. Vice-Chairperson of the Landsting (Parliament)
1991-95. (b. 1935-) |
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1984-87 Dr. Csehák Judith, Hungary
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| After
having been Vice-Chairperson
of the Council of Ministers and 1987-90, she was Minister of Social Affairs and
Health and Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party , 1987-90. She
was Chair of the Social Affairs' Committee of the Parliament 1990-95. (b. 1940-)
|
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1985-89 Gertrud Sigurdsen, Sweden |
|
1971-73 Deputy Group Leader of The Social Democrats , 1973-76 Minister
without Portfolio of International Development, 1979-89 Deputy
Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs’ Committee of Riksdagen, the National
Assembly, 1982-87 Minister of Medical Services in the Ministry of Social
Affairs and Health, 1985-89 Minister of Social Affairs and Health (Third
in cabinet). (b. 1923- )
.
|
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1985-91 Viola Harper Burnham, Guyana |
| Both Vice-President and Deputy
Prime Minister and 1985-90 Minister of Social Infrastructure. See
profile at Vice-Presidents.
|
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1990-96
Administrative Secretary of the Presidency Carmen Rosa Balaguer
Hernandez, The Dominican Republic |
|
Before becoming Vice-Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, she
was Chairperson of the Legislative Chamber of the Grand National
1979-81 and Member of the Politburo 1979-87. She was also
First Secretary of the District of Bacau and Chairperson of the
District Council 1979-81 and Member of the State Council 1980-89,
Minister of Labour 1986-87 and Chairperson of the District Council
of Ialomite 1987-89. She lived (1932- 2012). |
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1986-87 Aneta Spornic, Romania
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|
Before
serving as Vice-Chairperson of the Council of Ministers,
she had been Deputy President of the National
Assembly 1975-80 and 1975-79 Deputy Minister of Labour , 1979-82 Minister of
Education, 1982-84 Minister of State and First Deputy Chairperson of the
State-Planning-Committee,
and later Ambassador to Venezuela. |
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1986-89 and 1992 Roza Isakovna Otunbaeva, Kyrgyzstan |
|
Vice-Chairperson
of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs 1986-89, 1992 and 1994-96, and various
ambassadorial posts. In 2005 she became Acting Foreign Minister. |
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1986-88 Maria Mambo Café, Angola |
|
Deputy Minister of Internal Trade 1977-78,
Minister of Social Affairs Ca.1982-86
and Minister of State for the Economic and Social Sphere (Second in
Cabinet after President Dos Santos) 1986-88
Deputy Premier. She was member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party 1986-88 and
Governor of Cabinda in 1991. (b. 1945-)
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1986-89 Moshina Kidway, India
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First woman Minister
for Harijan and Social Welfare and then for Small Industries 1974-77 in
Uttar Pradesh. In 1976 President of the UP Congress Committee. 1982-83
Minister of State for Labour and Rehabilitation, 1983-84 Minister of State
for and 1984-86 Minister of Health and Family 1986-89 Minister of
Transport, Urban Development and Tourism (Second in the Cabinet).
Still very influential in the Congress Party. Married her cousin. (b.
1932-)
|
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1987-89 Shilabai Bappoo, Mauritius
|
| 1973
President of Partie Mouvement Militant Mauricien 1983-95 Minister of
Women's Affairs and Family 1987-89 of Labour and Industrial
Relations (Third in cabinet) and 1991-95 of Welfare and Child
Development (Fourth in cabinet). From 1996 Secretary General of Mouvement
Socialiste Mauricien, of which she had been a member since 1983.
Around 2000 Leader of the Rassemblement pour la Réforme. |
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1987-89 Lina Ciobanu, Romania
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Before becoming Vice-Chairperson
of the Council of Ministers,
she had been Minister of Light Industry
1975-87 and 1977-89 Member of the Politburo. In 1977 she was President of the National Council of
Women. (b. 1929-) |
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1988-93 Tukabibi Amageldyeva, Turmenistan
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| Vice-Chairperson
of the Council of Ministers and Foreign Minister 1988-90. |
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1988-89 Aleksandra Pavlovna Biryukova, USSR
|
| Until 1984 Central
Committee Secretary for Light and Consumer Industries. Also Candidate-Member of the
Politburo of the Communist Party of the USSR |
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1988-92 May Valborg Flodin, Åland
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1980-81 Member of the Government for Social Affairs and Health and for
Social Affairs and Health, 1988-91 Vicelandtråd. She was MP 1983 and
1991-95, member of the Nordic Council 1991-95. She lived (1935-2008) |
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1988-97 Aïssatou Yaou, Cameroon |
|
Minister of Women's Affairs from 1984, and the period
1988-97 also Minister of Social Affairs and third in cabinet. In
1981-85 Deputy Director of Finance, since 1985 President of the Women's
Wing of the governing party. Her full name is Aïssatou Boubakari Yaou. |
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1989-90 Prof. Dr. Christa Luft, German Democratic Republic (DDR)
|
Alternate Minister President and Minister of Economy.
1994-2002 Deputy Parliamentary Leader of The Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS)
in the Federal Assembly (Bundestag) of reunited Germany (b. 1937-)
|
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1989-90 Hon. Helen Clark, New Zealand
|
| MP
since 1981. Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour and Health 1989-90, Prime Minister since
1999. See profile at Premier Ministers.
(b. 1950-) |
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1989-90 Kazimiera
Prunskiene, Lithuania |
Also Minister of Economy 1989-90 and one of the leaders of the struggle
for independence. She became Premier Minister after the declaration of independence
at 11.3.90 See profile at Premier Ministers.
(b. 1945-)
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1989-91 Ann F. Cartwright-DeCouto, Bermuda
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| MP 1980-98 and 1981-82 Parliamentary Secretary of Community Development, 1985-89 Minister of Health and Social Affairs, 1989-92 also Minister of Environment, 1993-94 Minister of
the Delegated and Legislative Affairs. |
| 1989-92 Shanyl Tumenbayevna Tumenbayeva, Kyrgyzstan
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Vice-Chairperson
of the Council of Ministers. |
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1989-91 Rosemary Gaye Ewans, Norfolk Islands (Australian External
Territory)
|
| Rosemary
Gaye Ewans was concurrently Deputy President of the Legislature
The
picture shows Mrs. Ewans and the other female member of the government,
Alice Inez Buffett
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1989-90 Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Pakistan |
|
Senior Minister without Portfolio and Second in Cabinet. Acted as deputy to
her Daughter, Benazir Bhutto, and was acting Prime Minister on various
occasions. Her two
sons and oldest daughter, Benazir were all murdered or assassinated. Only
the younger daughter, Sanam is still alive. Born as Nusrat Ispahani in
Iranian Kurdistan. (b. 1929-) |
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1989-99 Aïssata Moumouni, Niger
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| Second in cabinet for many years. Since 1997 with the title of Minister of State.
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Last update 14.04.14
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