Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter

A smiling Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (right), gives a keen ear to Chilean President Dr. Michelle Bachelet during her one-day working visit to Jamaica on June 9, 2006. Both women are featured in Forbes Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Chile, Germany, Jamaica, The Philippines, Bangladesh, Latvia, Ireland, Mozambique, New Zealand and Liberia all have one thing in common. These countries highest political position is held by a woman.

Almost a year on and the world is poised to see the achievements of the newest addition of women leaders: Portia Simpson Miller, prime minister of Jamaica, Angela Merkel, German chancellor, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, president of Liberia and Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile.

Portia Simpson Miller

Speaking at the annual Press Association of Jamaica awards last month, the Prime Minister outlined her Govern-ment's accomplishments so far.

1. Improvements in housing, road repair programmes, increased access to education and improvement in earnings from tourism.

2. Tourism earned $809.5 million in the first half of the last fiscal year as opposed to the previous year's figures of some $740 million.

But her popularity has fallen tremendously and the general opinion is that there is little evidence of the infamous list of achievements.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

After just a year in office Liberia's first female president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is already heralded for her political achievements.

According to the BBC website, it will take more than a year to repair the country that has been torn by 14 years of civil war. However, signs of a brighter future are already apparent.

1. Ashmun Street, one of central Monrovia's main streets, now has streetlights. Though this may seem like a small gesture, it has made a big difference to the citizens of the community. Students use it to continue their studies at night. Traders are now able to carry on work into the night and citizens are enjoying the increase sense of security it brings.

2. The sates of peace is obviously the biggest improvement from 14 years of war. There are still 15,000 U.N. troops in Liberia but the government is still recruiting a new police force and national army.

3. The Matilda Newport Junior High School in Monrovia has been repainted and has received basic refurbishment after years of conflict, neglect and mismanagement.

4. Liberia's largest referral hospital - the John F. Kennedy, was inaccessible to ordinary Liberians. Drugs were in short supply and it was understaffed. Now there is a regular supply of drugs and more Liberians have the confidence to go there for treatment though it is still understaffed.

5. Sirleaf's biggest achievement is her fight against corruption. Some members of the former transitional government have been arrested.

6. She has renegotiated a $1 billion deal with the world's largest steel maker, Mittal. This new deal guarantees thousands of jobs in a country that has an 80 per cent unemployment rate.

Angela Merkel

Merkel is now at the helm of the European Union (EU), as Germany takes on their six months in rotating leadership of the Union.

The EU is looking to Germany and by extent Merkel (regarded as the Margaret Thatcher of Germany), to revive it. In Associated Press reports commenting on Merkel's first year as chancellor, she is quoted as saying in a speech to Parliament that her government can boast of many achievements. "It really cannot be disputed that after years of stagnation, the country is finally in an upswing again, and that is good news for citizens."

1. The economy is expected to grow by 2.3 per cent this year, which would be its best performance since 2000.

2. Unemployment is below 10 per cent for the first time since 2002.

3. Berlin is getting its budget deficit back under control after years of overshooting a European Union-mandated limit.

While Germany's profile has improved tremendously overseas, Merkel's popularity at home seems to be staggering with her popularity falling from 85 to 55 per cent. This is due largely to the disparity in the coalition government she was forced to form after an indecisive election.

Michelle Bachelet

1. She had promised and delivered, opening 800 day-care centres.

2. Four new hospitals were built, and 69 community family health care centres.

3. One hundred and sixteen government-supported new jobs were created.

4. Free assistance for senior citizens (over 60 years old), benefiting 130,000 senior citizens; more than 1 million Chileans were benefited with lower pension readjustments.

( L - R ) Merkel and Johnson-Sirleaf

Other female leaders are:

1. Bangladesh's first woman Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia

2. Finland's President: Tarja Halonen

3. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, president of Latvia. Has been in power since 1999.

4. Mary McAleese, President of Ireland since 1997.

5. Luisa Diogo, prime minister of Mozambique since 2004.

6. Helen Clark, prime minister of New Zealand since 1999.