Hasina among world’s 100 most powerful women: Forbes

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been ranked 29th in this year’s Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

The US-based business magazine published its 16th annual list on Thursday. The list is available on its website.

Last year, the Bangladesh prime minister was ranked 26th.

Hasina is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh. She won a fourth term in office after her party, Bangladesh Awami League, won 288 out of 300 parliamentary seats in the December 30 national election last year. The current term is also her third consecutive term in office.

“During what she believes will be her final term, Hasina plans to focus on issues such as food security and access to education and healthcare. An ongoing struggle of Hasina has been establishing a firm democracy in Bangladesh. Hasina and her Awami League party deny accusations of voter suppression in Bangladeshi elections,” Forbes said in its website.

To determine the overall rank on the list of 100, Forbes applied four metrics -- money, media mentions, impact and spheres of influence. Collectively, Forbes looked at hard power (currencies and constitutions), dynamic power (audiences, communities and creative influence), and soft power (what are leaders doing with their influence) within the context of each woman’s field -- business, media, technology, finance, philanthropy and politics.

For the ninth consecutive year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes the number one spot, also marking her 14th total appearance on the list.

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, climbed up one spot to number two.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, returns to the list in the number three spot this year as the highest-ranking and most powerful female elected official in American political history.

Rounding out the top five are newcomer Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors. They are ranked 4th and 5th respectively.

The 2019 list spans more than seven generations of influential women, with environmental activist Greta Thunberg becoming the youngest honoree in the list’s history at the age of 16.

Twenty-three women made their debut on the list.

“This year’s list of World’s Most Powerful Women is a collection of innovators and instigators who are leading on the world stage to redefine traditional power structures and forge lasting impact in every industry and sphere of influence,” said Moira Forbes, executive vice president, Forbes and president, Forbes Women.

Notably, former UK prime minister Theresa May was not included in this year’s list due to her resignation from the post this year. She was on the second spot last year.