Costa Rica's Presidenta Listed In Top Ten Female Leaders By Time Magazine

Time online lists Costa Rica's president, Lauran Chinchilla, as one of the top 10 female leaders in the world.  Chinchilla is takes tenth place on the list that includes Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina.

As part of the Chinchilla's brief bio, Times calls her a social conservative who opposes gay marriage, abortion and the legalization of the morning-after pill.

Time says that the Presidenta has pledged to continue the pro-business policies of her predecessor by courting international investment and expanding free trade.

Chinchilla won the presidential elections on February 7, 2010 (taking office on May 8, 2010) with a 47% majority. Doña Laura's experience in government includes being vice-president of Costa Rica under Nobel Laureate Oscar Arias and served as Costa Rica's ministra de Seguridad Pública and ministra de Justicia.

On her Facebook page, doña Laura says "It is with great honour to be placed by Time in the top ten ranking for female leaders, not only for me but for our country and its commitment to gender equity. It is a great pleasure, but also thanks to Costa Rica and then men and women who struggled to make it possible for Costa Rica to now have a woman president."


Top 10 Women

* Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia
* Johanna Sigurdardottir, Prime Minister of Iceland
* Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina
* Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania
* Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
* Sheik Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
* Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia
* Tarja Halonen, President of Finland
* Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
* Laura Chinchilla, President of Costa Rica