Governments headed by women around the world make a difference with both their functioning and their solutions. We have compiled the experience of women in local governments around the world on the occasion of the Local Government Elections to be held on March 31. Women, who draw attention with their community-oriented management practices, set an example of social municipalism.

 

THE FIRST WOMEN MAYOR IN HISTORY

 

The first women mayor in history is Plancia Magna, who lived in the ancient city of Perge, located in today's Antalya. Coming from a powerful family of the period, Magna was given the title "Demiourgos", meaning "Architect who created the world", because she spent all her wealth on the construction and reconstruction of the city. “Demiourgos” is considered “mayor” by historians because it was the highest public office position of the period.

 

In modern history, the first women mayor is Susanna Salter, who was elected in 1887 in the Quaker village in Sumner County, Kansas, USA.

 

WOMEN'S REPRESENTATION IN THE WORLD 

 

After this date, women began to be elected in municipal elections, and the visibility of women increased in the 2000s. Especially after 2010, this rate started to rise. During this period, women won mayoralties in world capitals such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Sofia, Sydney, Oslo and Dakar, as well as Barcelona and many other important cities. Along with the mayoralties, there was also a significant increase in council memberships.

 

In the last elections held in the world, there were only two countries that could provide equal representation. While Caribbean countries, Antigua and Barbuda, exceeded equal representation with 66.7 percent, Bolivia was the country that achieved equal representation with 50.4 percent. After Bolivia, Tunisia with 48.4 percent, Belarus with 48.2 percent and Senegal with 47.5 percent were the countries with the highest representation.

 

SOCIAL MUNICIPALITY IN BARCELONA

 

One of the names that draws attention with her practices in local governments is Ada Colau, who served as mayor of Barcelona, Spain, between 2015 and 2023. Colau, the first women mayor of Barcelona, said in her post-election speech: “I am not only the first women mayor; I am the first mayor from workers background and I have no ties to the families that rule Barcelona."

Colau, one of the founders of the dispossession group called Mortgage Victims Platform (PAH) and a well-known activist in the country, developed both a social and ecological municipalism approach by protecting the green structure of the city while building thousands of social housings during her presidency. She increased the overall social spending, including mental health services and programs for the homeless, by 50 percent, ended tax evasion, and recovered 150 million euros from large corporations.

 

Colau founded a sustainable public energy company, a public dental clinic, and the city's first LGBTQ center, and founded cooperative businesses for immigrants and refugees. At the same time, by declaring Barcelona a "City of Asylum", it expanded municipal services to refugees and assumed a local role in asylum policy. 

She encouraged a network of European cities that welcomed immigrants. Colau, which declared a climate emergency in 2020, has pledged nearly $600 million to reduce carbon emissions. 103-item climate plan; These included strengthening bike lanes, restricting polluting vehicles, expanding urban gardens, installing public solar panels, and incorporating sustainability standards into public contracts. Facing many difficulties in this process, Colau's efforts to "re-municipalize" its privatized water supplier were blocked by council members.

 

HEALTH INVESTMENTS IN DAKAR

 

Soham El Wardini, who was elected the first women mayor of the capital Dakar in Senegal in 2018, was among the "100 Most Influential African Women". Wardini, who served as president for one term, took steps to improve the living conditions of the population and strengthen the participation of young people by participating in the Global Active City (GAC) program. Its target is hygiene, health and education; equality and participation; cleanliness and ecology; regions and society; Wardini, who collected it under 4 headings such as, made investments especially in the field of health. Emphasizing communication and health awareness against the increase in cardiovascular diseases and cervical, breast and skin cancers, Wardini ensured that the focus was on preventive health. She focused on health actions during the covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, Wardini, who took steps regarding infrastructure and urban equipment, carried out projects such as the construction of municipal stadiums, the construction of first aid stations to combat drownings and increasing the number of lifeguards, the planting of 1 million trees and 6,500 citrus trees in secondary schools and high schools, as well as neighborhood gardens.

 

STOCKHOLM HAS BECOME A CITY SENSITIVE TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS

 

Anna Konig Jerlmyr, who was elected mayor of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, in 2018, came to the fore with her technology and immigration policies. During her presidency, Stockholm was rewarded for its Smart City Strategy and was named "World's smartest city" by the Smart City World Expo Congress in 2019. It was awarded the world's most sustainable city award in 2022. During her tenure, she has implemented transformative changes in areas ranging from digital innovation and post-Covid-19 economic recovery to technology and immigration policies to gender equality. As part of the European Union's (EU) livable cities initiative, an annual climate budget has been created, including strategic plans and clear climate targets, such as becoming climate neutral by 2030. Through Senseable City Lab Stockholm, it has implemented the project that designs the drinking water system with artificial intelligence to monitor the quality of water in real time, detect bacteria and potential leakage, as well as creating multi-sensor programs that can measure heat, noise pollution, air quality in real time.

It also created sensors that can reduce energy consumption and reduce heat, including the ventilation system in schools, connected freezers and refrigerators, and implemented the smart traffic lights project that provides 40 percent better accessibility for public transportation. 

Jerlmyr also continues to develop projects, stating that the construction and operation of buildings are responsible for 38 percent of global emissions, and that connecting buildings together through sensors can reduce this.

 

FIGHT AGAINST RACISM IN WASHINGTON

 

Muriel Bowser, the first black to take office in Washington, the capital of the USA, has been mayor since 2015. Murial accelerated the production of affordable housing and increased satisfaction in city services. Providing over $2 billion in unemployment, rent and business assistance, Bowser also secured federal reimbursement and made social improvements for the poor. In addition to her projects on affordable housing and homelessness, she led a National League of Cities task force to draft a federal call to action on the affordable housing crisis.

 

FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION

 

Femke Halsema, who has been the mayor of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, since 2018, is frequently on the agenda with her immigration policies as well as her social municipalism. She apologized on behalf of the municipal government for Amsterdam's role in the slave trade in the past. 

Reacting to the burqa ban imposed by the Dutch Parliament, she announced that she would not implement it in the city. She, who humiliated women and argued that homosexuality is a "sin", imposed sanctions against mosques where sermons were given. One of Halsema's important steps was the measures he took in the area known as the "Red-light (De Wallen) district", where people who were dragged into prostitution were employed. Aiming to protect women, Halsema aimed to prevent human trafficking and forced labor of women.

 

WOMEN RULED THE CAPITAL CITIES

 

Marianne Borgen, who has been the mayor of Oslo, the capital of Norway, since 2015, has fought for disadvantaged citizens and especially children.

Lydie Polfer, who has been the mayor of Luxembourg, the capital of Luxembourg, since the end of 2013, has given a new look to the city by carrying out projects that transform the city center into a pedestrian zone, as well as the renovation of many houses and old buildings.

 The women mayors who rule the capitals of the world are as follows:

Anne Hidalgo in Paris, the capital of France

Franziska Giffey in Berlin, Germany's capital

Virginia Raggi in Rome, the capital of Italy

Maria Fernanda Campo and Clara Lopez Obregon in Bogota, the capital of Colombia

Irací Hassler in Santiago, Chile's capital

Yordanka Asenova Fandakova in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria,

Souad Abderrahim in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia,

Zekra Alwach in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq,

Gabriela Firea in Bucharest, the capital of Romania

Claudia Sheinbaum served as mayor of Mexico's capital, Mexico City.

 

MA / Tolga Güney