Three women share Nobel Peace Prize

Three women have been jointly awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for their non-violent struggles for women’s rights. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee - an activist from Liberia, and Tawakul Karman, a Yemeni rights activist.Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president in 2005.Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of State, is known as the “Iron Lady” by her supporters.

She is standing for re-election on Tuesday, despite promising she would only seek one term.While out campaigning, the diminutive 72-year-old is often dwarfed by her party officials and bodyguards but over a political career spanning almost 30 years she has earned her steely nickname.

She was imprisoned in the 1980s for criticising the military regime of Samuel Doe - and then backed Charles Taylor’s rebellion before falling out with him and being charged with treason after he became president. In 2009, Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that she be barred from office for 30 years for her role in backing Taylor, who is currently on trial for war crimes in The Hague.

She won the 2005 election run-off even though she faced probably the best known Liberian - former football star George Weah. Despite the popular appeal of her opponent, analysts say she won because of her background as a development economist. Sirleaf has held a string of international financial positions, from minister of finance in the late 1970s to Africa director at the United Nations Development Program.

So many people felt she was well placed to rebuild Liberia’s shattered economy. Since becoming president, she has cancelled and renegotiated a $1bn contract with the world’s largest steel company, Arcelor Mittal, which has since started iron ore production in the north east.