Donne senza confini

WOMEN AND POLITICS IN THE WORLD

The binomial woman-politics never as in these last years has been more actual.
News of the election of the new Finnish Prime Minister, Anneli Jaatteenmaki has almost passed unnoticed from the international press. It has not aroused too much even sensation in Finland accustomed for a long time to have ministers woman as Elisabeth Rehn, minister of the defense in 1990; from as soon as one month the European union has for the first time a Prime Minister woman.

Lawyer, 48 years, single woman, has beaten the Social Democrat Paavo Lipponen, latest Prime Minister. In /her first interviews she shows above all safety and convinced determination in to bring forth a politics of strengthening of the welfare-been, news that won't make certain pleasure to the economists of the European Central Bank but surely profit to fight an unemployment in growth in the last times.
If Anneli Jaattenmaki leans out for the first time on the international political panorama, another woman is to the guide of a country distant thousand of kilometers from Finland: Gloria Arroyo, president of Philippines. Been born the 5 April of 1947 to Lubao in the north of the country, she had as desire to become pilot of airplanes or teacher. Her father had been president of Philippines since 1961 to 1965 and pretended that her daughter studied economy to the Georgetown University of Washington to become entrepreneur. Bill Clinton classmate, once graduate wanted to follow her desires, to become teacher of the university in Manila.
In 1986 the President Aquino called her to direct the Department of Commerce and from that moment she has not left the politics anymore. In 1992, after the third child, she runs to the Senate where she has chosen with a popular plebiscite.
Then, in 1998, Gloria would like to run to the presidency but Estrada, the Philippine Bruce Willis, known actor, decides to present himself to making lever more on his image rather than on the political programs. Arroyo does aside herself and accepts the vice-presidency. In October of 2000 a scandal of corruption and shares fights Estrada that few later he will leave the presidency to Gloria Arroyo.
In her programs obviously the struggle to the corruption above all inside the police accused of supporting armed gangs.
After September 11 Philippines have shown to be one of the more countries "helpful" of the United States. Despite the protests of the population culminated of July 2002 with the resignation of the vice-president Guingona, the Arroyo has had to accept the presence of the American armed strengths in the country on the traces of Abu Sayyaf, militant Islamic tied up to Ál Qaeda.
Gloria has affirmed more times to want to change radically her country but the fact to have declared its intention to not run for the presidential neighbors, makes already to think that neither she is firmly convinced to be able to realize her political project.
Therefore women that come, as Anneli Jaatteenmaki, women that go, as Gloria Arroyo or women that have never arrived but that they have believed a lot in their ideas.
Ingrid Betancourt in Colombia and Elisa Carriò, said "lilita", in Argentina.
The Betancourt had run to the 2002 Colombian political elections with her party Green Oxygen. During the electoral campaign in the south of Colombia, February 23 rd 2002 has been abducted from the guerrilleros of the Farc and from that day she is still in their hands.
Ingrid has gotten only the 1% of the consents in the votes won by the progressive Alvaro Uribe; perhaps her project was too much ambitious to want to eradicate an obsolete and corrupt political culture to give a new imprint to its country.
The same project emerges from the recent declaration of Elisa Carriò, run to the Argentinian presidential elections that she affirms "we will have in Argentina a process of change when the conscience collective founder of a new social ethic will be created."
Lilita is already out of the ballot that will see to challenge the two peronist Menem and Kirchner.
With the political choice that Argentina is prepared to complete it doesn't seem but the political idea of the Carriò is undertaken and therefore the United States and the International Monetary Fund can breathe a sigh of relief could count on a future president once more servant of Washington.
The Argentinian society is very sexist: would be unthinkable to see a woman that conducts a soccer program, let's show up us a woman to the guide of the country!
Anyway Elisa Carriò has already gotten a very positive political result, sign that something in the Argentinian mentality is perhaps changing.

Federico Bastiani