The Swiss politician placed ahead of Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen (75), Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin (85) and pop icon Beyoncé (72), but well behind German chancellor Angela Merkel, who topped the list. Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, and US vice-president elect Kamala Harris rounded out the top three.
The American business magazine applied four metrics – money, impact, spheres of influence and media mentions – to determine the 17th edition of the ranking. It also considered how the women responded to challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Swiss president has been highly visible as part of the government’s efforts to manage the health crisis, listening to and reassuring the population, Swiss public television RTS pointed out.
Other women leaders who have been praised for their handling of the pandemic also appeared on the list, including New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern (32) and Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen (37).
Sommaruga has been a member of the government’s executive body, the Federal Council, since 2010. She last held the Swiss rotating presidency in 2015. The veteran politician will hand the position over to economics minister Guy Parmelin in 2021.
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Swiss President sends solidarity message to population
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Sommaruga acknowledged that people’s lives have been restricted by a series of extraordinary measures enforced by the government in recent weeks under the powers of the Epidemics Acts. These include a ban on gatherings of more than five people (including CHF100 fines for those who do not abide by the rule) and the shut down…
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Last year a record number of women were elected to parliament in Switzerland. Will they help bring more equality in other spheres?
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Why, in a country where female voters outnumber their male counterparts by 10%, do women remain a minority group in cantonal and federal politics?
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.