# What countries have elected a leader from a minority racial group? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008 "2009-07-05T20:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/41 "2009-07-06T17:54:17Z")
**DrDeth** , the President of Finland has more than merely ceremonial powers, and since 1994 has been directly elected by the people. The incumbent is female (and somewhat resembles Conan O’Brien, who did not fail to notice this): [Tarja Halonen - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarja_Halonen) Nicaragua, Indonesia and the Philippines have all had female presidents who were not just figurehead leaders. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/42 "2009-07-06T18:31:18Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **DrDeth** , the President of Finland has more than merely ceremonial powers, and since 1994 has been directly elected by the people. The incumbent is female (and somewhat resembles Conan O’Brien, who did not fail to notice this): [Tarja Halonen - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarja_Halonen) > > Nicaragua, Indonesia and the Philippines have all had female presidents who were not just figurehead leaders. You are correct. While the resident of Finland is not quite as powerful as a US President, she does wield much more than ceremonial powers. In fact, the seem to be a fair number of woman Presidents where the Office does wield some real power. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/43 "2009-07-06T19:09:43Z")
Ben Briscoe, a Jew, was the Mayor of Dublin (largely ceremonial position). A number of Irish-Jews, however, held very senior positions in the Irish government post-independence. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/44 "2009-07-06T19:46:23Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Ben Briscoe, a Jew, was the Mayor of Dublin (largely ceremonial position). A number of Irish-Jews, however, held very senior positions in the Irish government post-independence. And his father, Robert, was elected before him. Pre-Independence, William Ames/Annyas was the mayor of Youghal in 1555, making him the first Jew to hold elected office in the British Isles. Latter, Sir Otto Jaffe was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1899. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/45 "2009-07-06T19:53:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > …In fact, the[re] seem to be a fair number of woman Presidents where the Office does wield some real power. Add Liberia to that list: [Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Johnson-Sirleaf) ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/46 "2009-07-07T19:26:43Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Ben Briscoe, a Jew, was the Mayor of Dublin (largely ceremonial position). A number of Irish-Jews, however, held very senior positions in the Irish government post-independence. The governor of my state (Tucumán) is also jewish, and considering he was one of the few peronist leaders that did well in the past elections he is one of the possible candidates for the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/47 "2009-07-07T21:42:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You are correct. While the resident of Finland is not quite as powerful as a US President, she does wield much more than ceremonial powers. I rmember learning about Urho Kekkonen, a name which sounds like a Klingon in retrospect. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/48 "2009-07-08T03:41:21Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > I rmember learning about Urho Kekkonen, a name which sounds like a Klingon in retrospect. 🙂 Now _that’s_ a minority! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/49 "2009-07-08T16:28:09Z")
There have also been some minority governors of U.S. states, perhaps most notably Gary Locke of Washington State, who is now U.S. Secretary of Commerce: [Gary Locke - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Locke) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008/50 "2009-07-08T20:37:13Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, he wears glasses. Actually, if you count all the people with eyesight corrections (glasses or contacts), I think that is a majority in either the UK or the USA (and probably other developed nations, too). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-have-elected-a-leader-from-a-minority-racial-group/502008.md?page=2)