Joyce Banda, Malawi
Banda in 2012 made history as Malawi’s first female president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa.
She took power over following the death of 78-year-old President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office.
Banda was elected to the Malawian National Assembly in 2004 as a member of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF). She moved to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), formed by Bingu wa Mutharika, the next year, serving as minister of gender, child welfare, and community services (2004–06) and as minister of foreign affairs (2006–09).
Banda was elevated to Mutharika’s running mate in 2009 and won election as vice president, the first woman to hold that office in Malawi. She was expelled from the DPP after a dispute with Mutharika in late 2010 over who would succeed him as the DPP presidential candidate in the next election. She, however, continued to serve as vice president.
Banda in April 2011 founded the People’s Party (PP) and was widely regarded as the major opposition to Peter Mutharika, brother of the president and likely DPP presidential candidate in the next election—but that never happened.
After President Mutharika’s death in 2012 after he suffered a heart attack Banda was constitutionally mandated to assume the presidency and was sworn in as the fourth president of Malawi on April 7.
