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India Breaks Barriers and Elects First Female President
At the same time that Hillary Clinton hopes to become the first female president of the United States, India just elected one!
72-year-old Pratibha Patil won the election with two-thirds of the vote. In India, unlike here in the US, the people don't vote for the president. Instead, only national and state legislators do.
Patil belongs to India's Congress Party and served in it for 45 years. The Congress Party is the ruling party in India right now, just as Democrats are in the majority in the US Congress.
India has a parliamentary government, so Prime Minister is the most powerful politician. Still, Patil's election as president gives much hope to India's female population. In India, violence against women is a common occurrence. So having a female president is an important symbol to men and women alike.
This won't be the first time a woman has held one of the most powerful offices in India. Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and again in 1980 to 1984. She was the second woman in the world's history to be elected to the office of Prime Minister.
I'm Michelle and that's what happened in the world this week!
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