There are a handful of strongmen world leaders who often find themselves in the headlines of world news. They are notorious for their political playbooks of strong statements and daring opponents – especially as some consolidate power during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte, United States’ Donald Trump, and Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko share similarities, one thing is worth noting: some of their fiercest opponents are women.

With some tensions stretching a few years back, the women refuse to stand down. Here’s a look at how they resisted the politics of the men in power:

Leni Robredo and Rodrigo Duterte

From the get-go of the Philippines’ 2016 election, the elected president and vice president were known to be polar opposites. Duterte aligned himself with the Marcos clan, who were once toppled from power by the Liberal Party (LP)-linked Aquinos. Robredo won representing the LP, and later proclaimed herself the leader of the opposition.

Throughout their 4 years in office, Robredo became no stranger to Duterte’s aggression, even as she holds the second-highest seat of power. 

File photo by Exequiel Supera/PPD

In December 2016, Malacañang officials said “irreconcilable differences” led to Duterte ordering Robredo to stop attending Cabinet meetings. She was also set to resign as chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), leaving the Duterte Cabinet.

Robredo has often challenged Duterte’s most treasured goals, such as the deadly drug war, charter change, the hero’s burial for late ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and the anti-terrorism law.

More recently, she has been criticizing the Duterte government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Robredo asserted her right to criticize the administration, regardless of her being vice president.

Duterte blasted Robredo on Monday night, September 21, saying the government should just hop aboard an airplane and spray pesticide over the entire country or Manila “so everyone dies.”

Robredo clapped back in a Facebook post, outlining the “main challenges” of the pandemic the government has yet to address.

The Vice President has been praised for running COVID-19 recovery programs hands-on for various sectors despite her office’s measly budget.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump

In the upcoming US election, President Donald Trump faces a female senator from California running against his vice presidential running mate Mike Pence.

Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on August 19, condemning Trump’s profound “failure” as a leader and accusing him of turning “our tragedies into political weapons.” She runs alongside presidential hopeful Joe Biden.

She is the first Black and South Asian American woman on a major party’s White House ticket.

Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Looking back, Harris gained prominence when she challenged Trump nominees during Senate hearings, such as former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017, and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

Trump attacked Harris for her role in the Kavanaugh hearings, calling her “the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the US Senate.”

In June 2019, Harris supported impeachment proceedings against Trump.

“This is the tension which is, do you stand to fight for these principles that were part of the – the spirit behind the design of our democracy, checks and balances, accountability? Or do you stand with strategy, which is, what is the ultimate goal, and if it’s saying that this guy should not be in office and if this could hurt the chances of winning an election, should you hold off?” Harris said in a CBS News report.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Alexander Lukashenko

Belarus is one of the countries that chose to push through with their elections despite the coronavirus pandemic. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya saw it as an opportunity to remove President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for nearly 3 decades.

Lukashenko won in a landslide. Ordinary Belarusians and independent observers accuse him of stealing the election from 37-year-old Tikhanovskaya, who emerged as the leader of the protest movement against his rule.

Even world leaders doubted the election.

Lukashenko insisted that Belarus is not ready for a female president, as one “would collapse, poor thing,” he said. Amnesty International has also accused Lukashenko’s government of being misogynistic through targeting female activists with discriminatory tactics.

Although forced to leave for Lithuania for her own safety, Tikhanovskaya refused to stand down, proclaiming that she was proud of Belarusians for defending their rights and encouraging them to keep up the momentum.

“They have to understand that we are not a protest movement. We are people of Belarus and we are a majority and we will not step away. We are not afraid of them anymore,” she said.

Photo by Michael Sohn/Reuters

On September 18, Belarus authorities and several allies tried to block a video message from Tikhanovskaya as she spoke to the UN Human Rights Council. She urged “the strongest” international response to the abuses in Minsk.

Five days later, Lukashenko held his presidential inauguration in secret. 

Tikhanovskaya reiterated her claim to be the true winner of the elections, saying the “so-called inauguration is of course a farce.” – with reports from Charles Magallanes and Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com