Ex-PM Radičová praised as influential female leader

Iveta Radičová, who was prime minister for the rightist SDKÚ party between 2010 and 2012, became one of 15 women from across the world that received the award for influential female politicians from the Women Political Leaders Global Forum. She was the only representative from the central-European region, the Plus Jeden Deň daily wrote on December 9.

Radičová has already received one international acclaim: in 2010, she was declared Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine.

The Women Political Leaders Global Forum (WPL) organised the largest gathering of women who have been elected head of state or government in history.

Radičová was among 15 current and former female presidents and prime ministers who were presented with the WPL Award during the WPL Global Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, on November 29.

The group included the world’s first female elected President, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland. Also, the world’s most recently elected female Prime Minister, Iceland’s Katrín Jakobsdóttir, delivered her first public speech since taking office just hours earlier.

The full list of 2017 WPL Award winners includes Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of Croatia, Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland (1980-1996), Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo (2011-2015), Kim Campbell, Prime Minister of Canada (1993), Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1999-2008), Mari Kiviniemi, Prime Minister of Finland (2010-2011), OECD Deputy Secretary-General, Aminata Touré, Prime Minister of Senegal (2013-2014), Iveta Radičová, Prime Minister of Slovakia (2010-2012), Maria Liberia Peters, Prime Minister of Netherlands Antilles (1984-1986, 1988-1994), Jennifer Smith, Premier of Bermuda (1998-2003) and Paula Cox, Premier of Bermuda (2010-2012).