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Post by Auroranorth on Jul 9, 2015 16:59:33 GMT -4
None that I can think of offhand. They mostly seem to be white, male and from middle-class families at minimum. A few women, but again, white and well-off families.
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Post by chonies on Jul 9, 2015 18:18:52 GMT -4
That's what I was thinking--I know Sarkozy might be kind of an outlier, but not by much. And outside of Europe, the only person who springs to mind is Evo Morales.
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Post by ladyvorkosigan on Jul 9, 2015 19:46:41 GMT -4
I know Angela Merkel was the first woman to be Chancellor of Germany. Does anyone know ifthat felt sea-changey to the women in Europe?
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Post by chonies on Jul 9, 2015 22:45:52 GMT -4
What I don't know about German politics is intergalactically outsized, but I wonder if Merkel being female is more or less significant than the fact that she's from the East.
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Post by biondetta on Jul 10, 2015 4:12:42 GMT -4
I can't speak for others, but I think Merkel being from the East would be a bigger deal than her being a woman, and even then, I think there was a woman who was the head of Eastern Germany right at the end. Various European countries have had female prime ministers and presidents (or equivalent) since around 1979 from my quick bit of googling, though they do tend to be Eastern European, Scandinavian, or Irish. For me, having a woman elected in Europe isn't THE big deal now; having multiple women leading multiple countries, particularly in the Big 7/20/etc., would be the big deal.
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Post by sardonictart on Jul 10, 2015 6:00:55 GMT -4
I haven't been following European politics as closely as I used to. Have there been leaders elected in the last decade whose biographies have a parallel trajectory to Obama's? I don't mean specifically black or of African heritage, but instead from a historically underrepresented ethnic background relevant to that country, and whose election might have been considered a cultural watershed moment. I know there are a few ministers or cabinet-type officials here and there, but what about higher up? None of the Greek higher-ups were from disadvantaged backgrounds (at least that I can recall.) I think that the current crop in charge all come from wealthy families (not middle class even) just as all of the politicians before them. The members of the Swiss Federal Council (7 members who alternate being President of the Swiss Confederation) are a mix of wealthy and middle class except for one who is actually the son of a poor famer, and he was President in 2013. Oh, and ITA with biondetta about Merkel being from the East being more important than her being a woman. Though we have German residents on the board who could probably speak to this better. |
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Nov 25, 2024 1:01:20 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2015 11:47:58 GMT -4
What about Jose Mujica of Uruguay? He was a leader of Tupamaros and one of the Los Natos imprisoned for thirteen years.
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Post by eclair on Jul 13, 2015 17:14:59 GMT -4
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Post by Martini Girl on Jul 13, 2015 17:26:07 GMT -4
I know this doesn't count, but the only person I can think of is Pope Francis being a Franciscan instead of a Jesuit, and he's been shaking up the church like nobody's business.
As for Merkel, I just think of her as a Thatcher clone. And as sad as it is, most of the female leaders who immediately spring to mind seem to be women whose husbands died while in office, and they took over.
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Post by chonies on Jul 13, 2015 18:52:36 GMT -4
I think Rousseff and Mujica are definitely interesting, but their narratives are more like Daniel Ortega (and I guess Vaclav Havel, and maybe a few others), who have unremarkable origins but who chose to take specific paths based on conscience and political leanings. I suppose when I posed the question, I was thinking about something more immutable.
But new question: who, besides Mujica and Rousseff, have been elected to power after being jailed and tortured by their own country?
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