# How many foreign leaders can you name? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626 "2013-10-19T03:32:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/1 "2013-10-19T03:32:27Z")
How many elected foreign leaders can you name off the top of your head? I could only think of a few (I’m American by the way): Canada, Stephen Harper UK, David Cameron Germany, Angela Merkel Russia, Vladmir Putin (though is Russia really a democracy anymore?) There are a lot of guys that I _thought_ are leaders but not anymore, like Nicholas Sarozsky and Silvio Berlusconi. So who where’s the best and who’s the worst? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/2 "2013-10-19T03:33:59Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > How many elected foreign leaders can you name off the top of your head? I could only think of a few (I’m American by the way): > Canada, Stephen Harper > UK, David Cameron > Germany, Angela Merkel > Russia, Vladmir Putin (though is Russia really a democracy anymore?) > There are a lot of guys that I _thought_ are leaders but not anymore, like Nicholas Sarozsky and Silvio Berlusconi. So who where’s the best and who’s the worst? With all the news lately, Assad didn’t cross your mind? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/3 "2013-10-19T03:40:34Z")
I can name all of them. Send them over; I’ll think of something to name them. I call the North Korean one “Bitey.” ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/4 "2013-10-19T03:54:51Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > With all the news lately, Assad didn’t cross your mind? Well he’s been “elected” in votes with no other candidates. Like communist nations, I consider that more a dictator than a true elected official. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/5 "2013-10-19T05:55:40Z")
Do fictional world leaders count? 'Cause I have fond memories of President Harrison Ford and President Morgan Freeman. ---
**Author:** ![Snerky\_Snerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Snerky\_Snerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snerky_Snerk)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/6 "2013-10-19T06:38:07Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > How many elected foreign leaders can you name off the top of your head? I could only think of a few (I’m American by the way): > Canada, Stephen Harper > UK, David Cameron > Germany, Angela Merkel > Russia, Vladmir Putin (though is Russia really a democracy anymore?) > There are a lot of guys that I _thought_ are leaders but not anymore, like Nicholas Sarozsky and Silvio Berlusconi. So who where’s the best and who’s the worst? You’re doing better than me. I didn’t know the Canadian dude, and must have missed the memo about Sarozsky losing - he was the French dude, wasn’t he? I think I recall the Indonesian(?) leader was Bam Bam something, but don’t know if he’s still around. I used to read the newspaper everyday and that kept me fairly informed on world events. Now I get most my news from MPSIMS, so I’m more likely to know if one of you guys gets a new cat, than, say, Japan elects a new leader. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/7 "2013-10-19T06:48:54Z")
Canada - Stephen Harper United Kingdom - David Cameron Jamaica - Portia Simpson-Miller France - Francois Hollande Australia - Tony Abbott New Zealand - John Key Germany - Angela Merkel Russia - Vladimir Putin Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu Brazil - Dilma Roussef Argentina - Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Japan - Shinzo Abe India - Manmohan Singh South Africa - Jacob Zuma Nicaragua - Daniel Ortega Vatican City - Pope Francis (I wouldn’t consider him an “elected leader” if he headed an actual country with ordinary citizens, but since it’s just a company town occupied by a few of its employees, the College of Cardinals is as good an electorate as any.) I know Felipe Calderon isn’t the President of Mexico any more, but I have no idea who replaced him (except that it wasn’t the guy Calderon beat, because he lost again). ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/8 "2013-10-19T08:00:49Z")
Mexico - Enrique Peña Nieto Colombia - Juan Manuel Santos Cayman - Alden McLaughlin Guyana - Donald Ramotar Belize - Dean Barrow Haiti - Michel Martelly Venezuela - Nicolas Maduro Argentina - Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Uruguay - José Mujica ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/9 "2013-10-19T09:59:41Z")
I’d say at least 10, but some of the ones i know have already been replaced. Japan replaces their PM like twice a year. ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/10 "2013-10-19T11:23:27Z")
Get ready for some spelling mistakes and incorrect names. Great Britain - David Cameron Japan - Shinzo Abe PRC - Xi Jinping 习近平 ROC- Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 Hong Kong - C. Y. Leung Russia - Vladimir Putin India - M Singh Thailand - Yingluck Shinawatra Cambodia - Hun Sen Myanmar - Shin Thein Germany - Angela Merkel Australia - Paul Abbot New Zealand - John Key France - Francois Hollande Argentina - Kirchner Canada - Stephen Harper South Africa - Jacob Zuma Rwanda - Paul Kagame DPRK - Kim Jung-Un ROK - Park Cuba - Raul Castro Syria - Bashir Assad Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu Philippines - Aquino Singapore - Lee Kuan Yew’s son Afghanistan - Harmid Karzai ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/11 "2013-10-19T13:56:29Z")
Barack Obama - USA David Cameron - UK Francois Hollande - France Angela Merkel - Germany Benjamin Netanyahu - Israel Vladamir Putin - Russia Mr. Abe - Japan Christina Fernandez - Argentina Mr. Singh - India Hamid Karzai - Afghanistan Tayyip Erdogan - Turkey I could also name a few dictators, but the OP asked for elected leaders. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/12 "2013-10-19T14:09:22Z")
Well, Thatcher used to be the King of England, and Gorbachev was the Prime Minister of Russia, I think. But I’m an American. We don’t have to know the names of leaders of unimportant countries. I think it’s in the Declaration of Independence, or something. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-foreign-leaders-can-you-name/671626/13 "2013-10-19T17:34:45Z")
I could think of fewer than I would have guessed. I know I’ve read news articles about the current leaders of Turkey, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Jamaica, Ireland, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia, Iraq, and Chile. I’ll be darned if I can remember their names though. Afghanistan Karzai Argentina Kirchner Bolivia Morales Canada Harper France Hollande Germany Merkel Iran Rouhani Israel Netanyahu Philippines Aquino Russia Putin UK Cameron US Obama Then a few more that probably don’t count as elected: Cuba Raul Castro Vatican Pope Francis North Korea Kim Jong Eun Palestine Abbas (elected but he remains in office beyond the expiration of his term) Then a few hereditary monarchs that definitely aren’t elected: Queen Elizabeth II Emperor Akahito King Juan Carlos Prince Albert of Monaco