#44 Tarja Halonen
08.31.06, 6:00 PM ET President
Finland
 © AP Photo/Christophe Ena
Halonen, 62, is riding high. The first woman to hold her country's top position, Halonen was re-elected for a second six-year term in January and now leads Finland as it takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union July 1. A social Democrat, Halonen believes chiefly in democracy, a welfare society and the rule of law. Lately, a key concern has been avoiding an energy crisis similar to the one that occurred last winter, when Russia temporarily shut off its gas supply. To that end, Halonen has strategically invited Russia's President Vladimir Putin to an October summit. A member of parliament since 1979, Halonen was also the first woman to become foreign minister. —Tatiana Serafin | 
Published sources include the women's official biographies, Factiva, International Who's Who of 2005, Marquis Who's Who, World Almanac of Famous People, Palgrave Who's Who 2005, the Congressional Yellow Book, the Judicial Yellow Book, Europa World Year Book, Hoover's Online, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, World Economic Forum, the World Book Encyclopedia. Rankings generated by combining various financial figures with other media and biography metrics; global media mentions from Factiva. |
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