India Elects First Woman President
By VOA News
21 July 2007
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Indian election officials say Pratibha Patil has become the country’s first female president.
The election commission announced that Ms. Patil, of the ruling Congress Party, defeated opposition-backed Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Thursday’s vote by national and state lawmakers.
Her election to the largely ceremonial post follows what analysts called one of India’s most bitter political contests in which questions were raised about scandals involving members of her family.
Ms. Patil has been the governor of the northwestern state of Rajasthan.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.