India Elects First Female President

Pratibha Patil with 638,116 votes won over her nearest rival Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who got 331,306 votes.

While a largely ceremonial post, the president holds India's highest constitutional office, is the supreme commander of the armed forces and can oversee creation of a government if there's a hung parliament.

Patil, handpicked by Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, has the backing of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, its communist allies and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which rules the country's most populous Uttar Pradesh state.


SOURCE:
Bloomberg
Wikipedia

The Republic of India has entered a special group today, it's now one of the small,
but growing number of countries who have elected female leaders, be that Presidents,
Prime Ministers or both.

This is, in my opinion a great thing to see in the world's largest liberal Democracy and
second largest country (1.1 billion people), but also a definite right step in the world in general.

While the Indian President, like most Presidents in Commonwealth nations,
does not hold the same power as the President of the United States, it is still none the less
an important position.


Comments, Opinions?

she is now the President of India?
Or Prime Minister?

She is now officialy in office?

Originally posted by ModernAcademia
she is now the President of India?
Or Prime Minister?

She is now officialy in office?

She is the president.

And yes she is now officially the president in office.

Keep in mind a president has no power in India

The president of India has some power, but you're right, in comparison to the President of
the U.S. and other Presidential Republics, they have very little power.

The Indian President does however have some power, those being the head of state
and the responsibilities associated with that, commander of the armed forces,
the President also appoints the Prime Minister, Chief Justices, Supreme Court judges,
governors ambassadors and the chief Electoral Commissioner, they can also remove
the Prime Minister if they lose majority support.