Gregoire Is Gov; Two Lead Chilean Race

(WOMENSENEWS)–Christine O. Gregoire has been declared the winner in the intensely contested Washington gubernatorial race, according to combined press reports. With Gregoire now in the top post, a total of 10 women hold keys to a governor’s mansion–the most ever.

The Democrat won by 130 votes after an initial count, a machine recount and a statewide hand count. The Washington secretary of state, Republican Sam Reed, reported all 39 counties in the state had certified results and any further challenges had to be pursued in the courts. The Republican candidate Dino Rossi and his supporters are threatening to do so.

More to cheer about:

For the first time ever, two Chilean female presidential candidates are holding a commanding lead in the battle for the nomination of the center-left, multi-party coalition that has been in power since 1990.

Socialist Michelle Bachelet and Christian Democrat Soledad Alvear could both easily beat the presumptive opposition nominee, former Santiago Mayor Joaquin Lavin, when voters cast their ballots a year from now, according to opinion polls from the advertising firm Ipsos Chile.

And, Starbucks and Dell became the first global corporations to formally endorse a comprehensive code of corporate conduct focused on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, Calvert Group, the nation’s largest family of socially responsible mutual funds, announced Monday.

The code was created by Calvert in June 2004. The Calvert Women’s Principles cover areas such as wages and benefits; health, safety and violence; discrimination in the workplace; civic and community engagement; and management and governance.

By endorsing the principles, Starbucks and Dell have committed to taking proactive steps to implement them and the two will be “leaders” in the corporate community, said Barbara J. Krumsiek, president and CEO of Calvert Group Ltd., in a press release.