Government > Leaders > President > Summary: Countries Compared
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COUNTRY |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| AfghanistanAfghanistan | Hamid Karzai is into his second term of office |
| AlbaniaAlbania | Mr Nishani is a former interior minister |
| AlgeriaAlgeria | President Bouteflika was elected to a third term of office in 2009 |
| AngolaAngola | President Dos Santos is one of Africa's longest serving leaders |
| ArgentinaArgentina | Cristina Fernandez |
| ArmeniaArmenia | President Serge Sarkisian's 2008 win was followed by deadly clashes |
| AustriaAustria | President Heinz Fischer is a former science minister |
| AzerbaijanAzerbaijan | Ilham Aliyev succeeded his father Heydar as president |
| BangladeshBangladesh | Mr Hamid was Speaker of parliament before becoming president |
| BelarusBelarus | Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko |
| BeninBenin | Mr Boni Yayi is in his second term as president |
| BoliviaBolivia | The election of Mr Morales represented a major shift for Bolivia |
| BotswanaBotswana | Seretse Khama Ian Khama was a soldier before turning to politics |
| BrazilBrazil | Ms Rousseff made a major leap to the top job when she became president in 2010 |
| BulgariaBulgaria | President Plevneliev has overseen several changes of government |
| Burkina FasoBurkina Faso | President Compaore has been in power since 1987 |
| BurmaBurma | Former general Thein Sein heads the first nominally civilian government since 1962 |
| BurundiBurundi | Pierre Nkurunziza is one of Africa's youngest leaders |
| CameroonCameroon | Paul Biya has been leader for three decades |
| Cape VerdeCape Verde | Jorge Carlos Fonseca won elections in 2011 |
| ChadChad | President Deby faces an opposition revolt and allegations of corruption |
| ChinaChina | President Xi Jinping has a reputation for fighting corruption |
| ColombiaColombia | Mr Santos maintains his predecessor's tough stance against Farc |
| ComorosComoros | Ikililou Dhoinine was vice-president before winning 2010's presidential election |
| Cote d'IvoireCote d'Ivoire | President Ouattara was elected in November 2010 |
| CroatiaCroatia | Croatian President Ivo Josipovic |
| CubaCuba | Raul Castro picked up the reins of power from his brother Fidel |
| CyprusCyprus | Nicos Anastasiades promised to secure a financial bailout for his country |
| Czech RepublicCzech Republic | President Zeman has been accused of attempting to undermine the Czech parliamentary system |
| Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo, DR. | Joseph Kabila is Africa's youngest head of state |
| DjiboutiDjibouti | President Guelleh has ruled Djibouti since 1999 |
| East TimorEast Timor | Taur Matan Ruak headed the guerrilla force fighting for independence |
| EcuadorEcuador | President Correa has mounted a nationalisation drive |
| Equatorial GuineaEqu. Guinea | Mr Obiang has been in power for three decades |
| EritreaEritrea | Isaias Afewerki runs a one-party state accused of suppressing democracy |
| EstoniaEstonia | Social Democrat Hendrik Toomas Ilves has occupied the largely cermonial role of president since 2006 |
| Federated States of MicronesiaMicronesia | President Emanuel "Manny" Mori |
| FinlandFinland | President Sauli Niinisto is credited with leading the economy towards growth in the 1990s |
| FranceFrance | Mr Hollande's tax rises have met with fierce resistance |
| French PolynesiaFr. Polynesia | Gaston Flosse is a veteran of politics |
| GabonGabon | Ali Ben Bongo's election was disputed by the opposition |
| GambiaGambia | Mr Jammeh has been accused of intolerance to criticism and dissent |
| GeorgiaGeorgia | Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili (left) with President Giorgi Margvelashvili |
| GermanyGermany | President Joachim Gauck |
| GhanaGhana | Mr Mahama became president when his predecessor died |
| GreeceGreece | President Karolos Papoulias |
| GuatemalaGuatemala | Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina |
| GuineaGuinea | Alpha Conde won the presidency in 2010 after a half-century in opposition |
| GuyanaGuyana | Mr Ramotar leads a minority government |
| HaitiHaiti | Mr Martelly was known for his charismatic performances in his previous career as a singer |
| HondurasHonduras | Mr Hernandez has promised to be tough on crime |
| HungaryHungary | President Janos Ader |
| IcelandIceland | President Grimsson often speaks out on controversial issues |
| IndonesiaIndonesia | Mr Yudhoyono has made the fight against terrorism a key priority |
| IranIran | Hassan Rouhani is seen as a religious moderate |
| IraqIraq | President Talabani is a veteran of Kurdish and Iraqi national politics |
| IrelandIreland | Michael D Higgins is a poet and politician |
| IsraelIsrael | Israel's elder statesman, Shimon Peres |
| ItalyItaly | President Giorgio Napolitano has been a stabilising influence on Italian political life |
| KazakhstanKazakhstan | President Nazarbayev has been in power since the fall of the Soviet Union |
| KenyaKenya | Uhuru Kenyatta faces charges of crimes against humanity |
| KiribatiKiribati | Anote Tong is into his third term |
| KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan | Almazbek Atambayev urges unity among political forces |
| LaosLaos | Communist rule continues under Choummaly Sayasone |
| LatviaLatvia | President Berzins is a wealthy businessman |
| LebanonLebanon | A Maronite Christian, Gen Michel Suleiman is widely regarded as a unifying figure |
| LiberiaLiberia | Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf |
| LithuaniaLithuania | Dalia Grybauskaite won the presidency in 2009 |
| MadagascarMadagascar | Mr Rajaonarimampianina is a former finance minister |
| MalawiMalawi | Malawian President Joyce Banda |
| MaliMali | Mr Keita |
| Marshall IslandsMarshall Isl. | Christopher Loeak is a veteran politician |
| MauritaniaMauritania | President Abdelaziz came to power in a coup, but now heads an elected government |
| MexicoMexico | Mr Pena Nieto will have to face the escalating violence of the drugs war |
| MoldovaMoldova | Nicolae Timofti served as a senior judge |
| MongoliaMongolia | Mining and resources top Mr Elbegdorj's agenda |
| MozambiqueMozambique | Millionaire business Armando Guebuza came to power in 2005 |
| NamibiaNamibia | Mr Pohamba was a founding member of the rebel movement which fought for independence |
| NepalNepal | Ram Baran Yadav, Nepal's first president |
| NicaraguaNicaragua | Daniel Ortega has replaced Marxist rhetoric with business-friendly policies |
| NigerNiger | Mr Issoufou's election marked a return to democracy after a year of military rule |
| NigeriaNigeria | Most of President Jonathan's electoral support lies in the mainly Christian south |
| PakistanPakistan | Mamnoon Hussain is a textile businessman |
| PalauPalau | Mr Remengesau advocates action to combat global warming and protect Palau's environment |
| PanamaPanama | President Martinelli was elected on a platform of encouraging economic growth |
| ParaguayParaguay | Mr Cartes is one of Paraguay's wealthiest people |
| PeruPeru | Ollanta Humala comes from a family of prominent radicals |
| PhilippinesPhilippines | Until he ran for president, Noynoy Aquino was relatively unknown |
| PolandPoland | President Komorowski was active in the civil rights movement in the 1970s |
| PortugalPortugal | President Anibal Cavaco Silva |
| Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia Rep. | President Gjorge Ivanov has made it his mission to improve relations with neighbouring Greece |
| RomaniaRomania | President Basescu is a former sea captain |
| RussiaRussia | Mr Putin has devoted a good deal of effort to burnishing his image as a strong leader |
| RwandaRwanda | Mr Kagame has been accused of being intolerant of opposition |
| Sao Tome and PrincipeSoa Tome+ | Mr Pinto da Costa is serving his second, non-consecutive term in office |
| SenegalSenegal | Mr Sall served as prime minister under his predecessor, Abdoulaye Wade |
| SerbiaSerbia | Mr Nikolic's Progressive Party has evolved from its nationalist roots to become more pro-EU |
| SeychellesSeychelles | James Michel served alongside long-time leader Albert Rene |
| Sierra LeoneSierra Leone | President Koromo came to power in elections |
| SingaporeSingapore | Tony Tan |
| SlovakiaSlovakia | Ivan Gasparovic was first voted into office in 2004 |
| SloveniaSlovenia | Mr Pahor is seen as a more conciliatory figure than his predecessor |
| SomaliaSomalia | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, elected president in Mogadishu |
| South AfricaSouth Africa | Jacob Zuma trod a rocky road to the presidency |
| South KoreaSouth Korea | Ms Park is the daughter of a former president |
| South SudanSouth Sudan | Salva Kiir has led the SPLM since 2005 |
| Sri LankaSri Lanka | A giant cardboard cut-out of President Rajapaksa looks down on traffic |
| SudanSudan | Omar Bashir came to power in a coup and faces war crimes charges |
| SurinameSuriname | Desi Bouterse first led Suriname following a coup in 1980 |
| SyriaSyria | Bashar al-Assad |
| TaiwanTaiwan | Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou |
| TajikistanTajikistan | Emomali Rakhmon exerts tight control over the levers of power |
| TanzaniaTanzania | Jakaya Kikwete is into his second term |
| TogoTogo | President Faure Gnassingbe stepped into his father's shoes |
| TunisiaTunisia | Moncef Marzouki opposed his predecessor and was forced into exile |
| TurkeyTurkey | Abdullah Gul is seen as a moderate figure |
| TurkmenistanTurkmenistan | President Berdymukhamedov is serving his second term |
| UgandaUganda | Yoweri Museveni is credited for saving Uganda from dictators, but has been criticized for hanging onto power |
| UkraineUkraine | President Yanukovych says he aims to balance Ukraine's ties between Russia and Europe |
| United StatesUnited States | Barack Obama, the country's first black president |
| UzbekistanUzbekistan | President Karimov keeps a tight grip on the country |
| VanuatuVanuatu | President Abil was elected in September 2009 |
| VenezuelaVenezuela | Mr Maduro succeeded Hugo Chavez as president |
| VietnamVietnam | Truong Tan Sang was a senior figure in the Communist Party before becoming president |
| YemenYemen | Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi faces a monumental task in holding together Yemen's factions |
| ZambiaZambia | Zambian President Michael Sata |
| ZimbabweZimbabwe | President Mugabe has ruled for more than three decades |