Anda Filip of Romania elected Secretary General of the IPU
In a historic first, Anda Filip has been elected the ninth Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the first woman to hold the post in the IPU’s 137-year history. As a result, the IPU joins the small but growing club of international organizations led by women for the first time.
Anda Filip was elected at the 152nd IPU Assembly in Istanbul, hosted by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye from 15 to 19 April 2026.
She will succeed Martin Chungong of Cameroon, whose third and final term ends on 30 June 2026.
Anda Filip of Romania has worked at the IPU for over 20 years, and has been Director for Member Parliaments and External Relations since 2011.
From 2003 to 2011, she was the Permanent Observer of the IPU to the United Nations in New York. She has served as Secretary of 25 IPU Assemblies, as well as Secretary of the IPU Standing Committees on Peace and International Security and on United Nations Affairs.
She also served as a diplomat in the Romanian Foreign Ministry in roles including Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations based in Geneva, Minister Counsellor with the Romanian Embassy in Washington D.C. and Ministry Spokesperson.
Following the election, Anda Filip said: “I am deeply humbled for your confidence and support. I will spare no effort to make you proud. I will work with you in the service of your countries and your parliaments.”
Some 321 parliamentarians from 126 countries took part in a secret ballot during a session of the IPU’s Governing Council, the Organization’s main decision-making body. With four candidates on the ballot, Anda Filip was elected after one round of voting, winning 72% of the vote.
To promote gender equality, each IPU Member Parliament is entitled to three votes if its delegation was gender-balanced. Single-sex delegations are entitled to one vote. All Member Parliaments, regardless of size, have the same voting weight.
The Secretary General is elected for a four-year term, renewable twice, and serves as the IPU’s chief executive. The post carries responsibility for managing the Secretariat, principally based at the IPU’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and reporting to the IPU’s governing bodies.
There have been eight Secretaries General since the IPU was founded in 1889. Two of them – Norway’s Christian Lange and Switzerland’s Albert Gobat – are among the eight IPU figures who have won the Nobel Peace Prize.
IPU Secretary General, Martin Chungong, newly elected Secretary General, Ms. Anda Filip and Ms. Tulia Ackson, President of the IPU.
