India's first female president has been announced, after winning two-thirds of the votes cast by lawmakers and state legislators. 72-year-old Pratibha Patil was widely expected to win having the support in the Indian National Congress.
The first most notable woman in power in India was Indira Gandhi in the post of Prime Minister, which is more influential than the president. Pratibha Patil has been in politics since 1962 and before her nomination was the governor of the northern state of Rajastan. She will be sworn in as India's thirteenth president on Wednesday.