12 centrespread centrespread 13 APRIL 23-29, 2017 APRIL 23-29, 2017 Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan was elected to the office of prime minister in 2002, and spent Deby won a fifth term as president of Chad in last year, 26 years after he took COUNTRY: TURKEY 11 years in that position before becoming the country’s first elected over the reins of the country through a coup. Access to the internet was cut president in 2014. That role was supposed to be largely ceremonial. during voting. In 2001, Deby had said he would step down after A 2007 constitutional reform passed by referendum had made the his second term but in 2005, he held a referendum to get Era of presidential election one via a direct national vote. The latest referendum gives the approved constitutional changes to remove the president the power to directly appoint ministers and vice-presidents, to two- for presidency. A majority of the intervene in the judiciary and the power to impose a state of Emergency. Idriss Deby voters approved of the changes “Strong The referendum also abolished the post of prime minister COUNTRY: CHAD Nazarbayev was elected as president in 1990, before which he was first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. Each time he was re-elected his vote share has increased, COUNTRY: RUSSIA crossing 97% in the last election in 2015 Leaders” though these elections have been Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s criticised by international observers. Named acting president by recent referendum to grant his offi ce In 2007, the Kazakh predecessor Boris Yeltsin, Putin Parliament voted to allow was elected as president in 2000. sweeping powers is being seen as the latest He served two terms as president the president an unlimited and then spent four years as prime instance of the popular acceptance of the number of terms of office. minister, before returning to the so-called “Strong Leader”. But many of these Three years later, the presidential office in 2012. According to the Russian president was bestowed leaders, like Erdogan, have been consolidat- constitution, he was not with the title of “leader ing their position by amending their coun- allowed to run for a third of the nation” try’s constitution, allowing them to continue consecutive presidential in offi ce. ET Magazine brings you a snap- term, so he made then prime minister Dmitry shot of the leaders currently in power Medvedev his successor in COUNTRY: KAZAKHSTAN through these means, as well as a look at 2008, before swapping other controversial rulers down the ages places in 2012. That same year, the Russian :: Indulekha Aravind Parliament passed a constitutional amendment that extended the Head of the government since 1990 and sworn in as Emomali Rahmon presidential term president in 1994, Emomali Rahmon has been in office COUNTRY: from four years for over two decades. In December 2015, he was to six bestowed the title of “Leader of the Nation”. A month later, the Parliament approved changes to the constitution that allows the president to run for office as many times as he would like to. Another amendment reduces the age for presidential candidates to 30, which observers say would allow Rahmon’s elder son to contest when his current terms ends in 2020

Dictators In 70-mm Dictatorships, especially military dictators, have been a subject for filmmakers CHILE The Chilean military under General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the LIBYA democratically elected government of Salvador Colonel Muammar Gaddafi PAKISTAN Allende in 1974. From then to 1990, it was a military seized power in a bloodless military coup MYANMAR Pakistan has come under military rule junta who was heading the government, a period in 1969, as a young and charismatic army infamous for the persecution of dissidents Fourteen years thrice since its formation. The last was from officer. Though he termed Libya a new socialist after 1999 to 2008, under General Pervez state in 1977 and adopted a symbolic role independence Musharaff who had then-prime minister officially, he continued to be the real from British Nawaz Sharif arrested Military power by being the head of the rule, the military Dictatorships military and revolutionary junta took over THE LAST KING OF THE GREAT DICTATOR THE DICTATOR (2012) THE INTERVIEW (2014) the country, at SCOTLAND (2006) (1940) While some leaders were committees. He was A spoof on Libya’s Gaddafi Another satire, this time on elected to power and captured and killed first through a Starring Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, The film, a satire on Hitler’s regime written by and starring North Korea’s former leader Kim stayed in office for long in 2011, following single-party the 20th century dictatorial ruler of leading up to World War 2, has Charlie Sacha Baron Cohen, the film Jong Un. In the film, Seth Rogen years through civil rest sparked by socialist system.. Uganda, the film, a fictional account, Chaplin in the two main roles. The first revolves around the and James Franco play constitutional reform, the Arab Spring In 2011, a looks at the regime through the eyes was the dictator of Tomainia, dictatorial leader Aladeen, journalists who are supposed to there are others who took nominally of his physician Dr Nicholas representing Hitler, and the other, that of who is summoned to the UN interview the North Korean over the reins by force civilian Garrigan. The film is based on the Jewish Barber, who becomes involved in Assembly and the comedy dictator but are recruited by CIA government novel by journalist Giles Foden an uprising to kill the dictator that ensues to assassinate him