List of the first female holders of political offices in South America

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Argentina

• Head of Ministries (Labour, Social Welfare, Health) – Eva Perón – 1946
• President of a Major Political Party – Eva Perón – 1947
• First women in Congress – Twenty-two peronist women – 1951
• Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies – Delia Parodi – 1953
• Vice President of Argentina – Isabel Martínez de Perón – 1973
• President of the Argentine Senate – Isabel Martínez de Perón – 1973
• President of Argentina – Isabel Martínez de Perón – 1974
• Foreign Minister – Susana Ruiz Cerutti – 1989
• Province governor – Alicia Lemme – 2001 (of San Luis Province)
• Defense Minister – Nilda Garré – 2005
• Economy Minister – Felisa Miceli – 2005
• Elected President of Argentina – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – December 10, 2007
• Elected province governor – Fabiana Ríos – December 10, 2007 (of Tierra del Fuego Province)

Bolivia

• President (acting) – Lidia Gueiler Tejada – 1979
• Interior minister – Alicia Muñoz Alá – 2006
• Minister of Planning and Environment – Gloria McPhee

Brazil

Empire of Brazil:

• 1871: Senator – Isabel, Princess Imperial

Republic of the United States of Brazil:

• 1927: Appointed Mayor (Lages) – Alzira Soriano de Souza^[1][2][3]
• 1933: Federal Deputy – Carlota Pereira de Queirós^[1][3][4]

United States of Brazil:

• 1958: Elected Mayor (Quixeramobim) – Aldamira Guedes Fernandes^[2]

Federative Republic of Brazil:

• 1979: Senator of the Republic (Amazonas) – Eunice Michilles^[1][3][5]
• 1982: Minister of Education – Esther Figueiredo Ferraz^[3]
• 1986: State Governor (Acre) – Iolanda Fleming^[6]
• 1989: Minister of Labour – Dorothea Werneck
• 1990: Minister of Economy – Zélia Cardoso de Melo^[1][7]
• 1990: Elected Senators – Júnia Marise (Minas Gerais) and Marluce Pinto (Roraima)^[3]
• 1993: Minister of Planning – Yeda Crusius
• 1993: Minister of Transportation – Margarida Coimbra do Nascimento
• 1995: Elected Governor (Maranhão) – Roseana Sarney^[1]
• 1995: Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism – Dorothea Werneck
• 2002: Minister of National Integration – Mary Dayse Kynzo
• 2003: Minister of Natural Environment – Marina Silva
• 2003: Secretary for Women's Rights – Emília Fernandes
• 2003: Secretary for Promotion of Racial Equality – Matilde Ribeiro
• 2003: Minister of Energy – Dilma Rousseff
• 2005: Chief of Staff – Dilma Rousseff
• 2007: Minister of Tourism – Marta Suplicy
• 2010: Minister of Social Development and Hunger Alleviation – Márcia Lopes
• 2011: Minister of Culture – Ana de Hollanda
• 2011: Minister of Fishing and Aquaculture – Ideli Salvatti
• 2011: Secretary for Human Rights – Maria do Rosário
• 2011: Secretary for Social Communication – Helena Chagas
• 2011: President – Dilma Rousseff^[8]

Chile

• Mayor – Alicia Cañas – 1935^[9]
  • Mayor of Providencia – Alicia Cañas – 1935^[9]
  • Mayor of Santiago – Graciela Contreras – January 6, 1939^[10]
  • Mayor of Pichilemu – Olga Maturana Espinosa – 1952
  • Mayor of Concepción – Ester Roa – 1958
  • Mayor of Las Condes – Silvia Boza – 1968^[11]
• Governor – Olga Boetther – March 12, 1941^[12]
  • Governor of La Unión Department – Olga Boetther – March 12, 1941^[12]
  • Governor of Tamarugal Province – Gabriela Hip – October 8, 2007^[13]
• Intendant – Inés Enríquez – 1950^[9]
  • Intendant of Concepción – Inés Enríquez – 1950^[9]
  • Intendant of the Santiago Metropolitan Region – Ximena Rincón – January 25, 2005^[14]
• Deputy – Inés Enríquez – 1951^[9]
  • Deputy for Concepción – Inés Enríquez – 1951^[9]
• Minister – Adriana Olguín de Baltra – 1952^[9]
  • Minister of Justice – Adriana Olguín de Baltra – 1952^[9]
  • Minister of Labour and Social Welfare – Mireya Baltra – 1972-3
  • Minister of Foreign Relations – Soledad Alvear – March 11, 2000^[15]
  • Minister of Defense – Michelle Bachelet – March 11, 2002^[16]
  • Minister General Secretary of Government – Carolina Tohá – 2009

Colombia

• Governor of Cauca (first governor, nominated by President) – Josefina Valencia de Hubach – 1955
• Minister of Education (first cabinet post) – Josefina Valencia de Hubach – 1956
• Senator – Esmeralda Arboleda – 1958
• Presidential candidate – María Eugenia Rojas – 1974
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Noemí Sanín – 1991
• Governor of Quindío (first governor elected) – Belén Sánchez – 1992
• Minister with presidential functions (acting President) – María Emma Mejía – 1998
• President of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia – Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez – 1999
• Minister of Defense – Marta Lucía Ramírez de Rincón – August 2002
• President of the Senate of Colombia – Claudia Blum de Barbieri – July 2005

Ecuador

• President (acting) – Rosalía Arteaga – 1997
• Foreign minister – Nina Pacari Vega – 2003
• Defence minister – Guadalupe Larriva González – 2007

Guyana

• President of House of Assembly – Lola Willems – 1973
• President – Janet Jagan – 1997
• Prime Minister – Janet Jagan – 1997
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Carolyn Rodrigues – 2008

Paraguay

• Member of the Supreme Court – Serafina Dávalos – 1908^[17]
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Leila Rachid de Cowles – 2003
• Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare – Esperanza Martínez (politician) – 2008
• Minister of Education and Culture – Blanca Ovelar – 2003
• Presidential Candidate – Blanca Ovelar – 2008^[18]
• Minister of Indigenous Affairs – Margarita Mbywangi – 2008
• Minister of Women – Gloria Rubin – 2012
• Minister of Justice and Labor – Sheila Abed – 2013

Peru

• Senator of the Republic – Irene Silva de Santolalla – 1956
• Deputy of the Republic – Matilde Pérez Palacio – 1956
• Mayor of Lima – Anita Fernandini de Naranjo – 1963
• Minister of Education – Mercedes Cabanillas – 1987 (first woman ever in the Council of Ministers)
• President of Congress – Martha Chávez – 1995
• Prime Minister – Beatriz Merino – 2003
• Minister of Health – Pilar Mazzetti – 2004
• Ombudswoman of the Republic – Beatriz Merino – 2005
• Minister of Interior – Pilar Mazzetti – 2006
• Minister of Justice – María Zavala – 2006
• Minister of Foreign Commerce and Tourism – Mercedes Aráoz – 2006
• Minister of Transportation and Communications – Verónica Zavala – 2006
• Minister of Work and Employment – Susana Pinilla – 2006
• President (acting) – Lourdes Mendoza – 2007 (Alan García went to Ecuador, so she stayed in charge of the Presidency for one day)
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Eda Rivas – 2013

Suriname

• Foreign minister – Marie Levens – 2000

Uruguay

Legislative Power

• Deputies – Julia Arévalo de Roche, Magdalena Antonelli Moreno – 1943
• Senators – Sofía Álvarez Vignoli, Isabel Pinto de Vidal – 1943
• Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies – Nora Castro – 2005
• Speaker of the General Assembly – Lucía Topolansky – 15 February 2010
• Acting President of the Republic – Lucía Topolansky – 26–28 November 2010

Municipal

• Member of municipal council – Alba Roballo – 1955
• Mayor of Montevideo – Ana Olivera – 2010
• Mayor of Artigas – Patricia Ayala – 2010
• Mayor of Lavalleja – Adriana Peña – 2010

National Government

• Culture minister – Alba Roballo – 1968^[19]
• Labor minister – Ana Lía Piñeyrúa – 1995^[19]
• Housing minister – Beatriz Martínez – 1999^[19]
• Industries minister – Primavera Garbarino – 2000^[19]
• Defence minister – Azucena Berrutti – 2005^[19]
• Health minister – María Julia Muñoz – 2005^[19]
• Social Development minister – Marina Arismendi – 2005^[19]
• Interior minister – Daisy Tourné – 2007^[19]
• Tourism minister – Liliam Kechichián – 2012^[19]

Judiciary

• Member of the Supreme Court – Sara Fons de Genta – 1981 / Jacinta Balbela – 1985

Venezuela

• Governor – Lolita Aniyar de Castro – 1993
• Governor of Zulia – Lolita Aniyar de Castro – 1993
• President of the Chamber of Deputies – Ixora Rojas Paz – 1998
• Vice President – Adina Bastidas – 2002
• President of the National Assembly – Cilia Flores – 2006
• Foreign minister – Delcy Rodríguez – 2014
  • Ministry of Public Works – Loreto Silva – 2012^[20]
• Senator – María de la Cruz – February 13, 1953^[9]
  • Senator for Santiago – María de la Cruz – February 13, 1953^[9]
• Supreme Court Justice – María Antonia Morales – November 5, 2001^[21]
• President of the Chamber of Deputies – Adriana Muñoz – March 11, 2002^[22]
• President of the Republic – Michelle Bachelet – March 11, 2006^[9]
• President of the Senate – Isabel Allende – March 11, 2014^[23]

See also

• List of elected and appointed female heads of state
• List of elected or appointed female heads of government
• List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
• List of the first female holders of political offices in North and Central America and the Caribbean

References