Top 10 Most Powerful People of The World

There are nearly 7.1 billion people on the planet. Here we mention 10 of those who matter the most. They’re all featured on Forbes’ 2012 ranking of the World’s Most Powerful People – an annual look at the heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs who truly run the world.

1. Barack Obama
President, United States of America.  Age: 51.

Barack Obama  _ President, United States of America

The decisive winner of the 2012 U.S. presidential election on all counts: Obama took the popular vote, the electoral college and seven out of seven toss-up states. Now he gets four more years to push his agenda past weakened congressional Republicans. Still, he faces major challenges, including an unresolved budget crisis, stubbornly high unemployment and renewed unrest in the Middle East. But Obama remains the commander in chief of the world’s greatest military and head of the sole economic and cultural superpower–literally the leader of the free world.

2. Angela Merkel
Chancellor, Germany. Age: 58.

Angela Merkel, Chancellor Germany

The world’s most powerful woman is the backbone of the 27-member European Union and carries the fate of the euro on her shoulders. Merkel’s hard-line austerity prescription for easing the European debt crisis has been challenged by both hard-hit southern countries and the more affluent north, but it, and she, are still standing. Merkel has served as ­chancellor since 2005, but one of her biggest challenges still lies ahead: bolstering her government’s sagging popularity before the 2013 German general election.

3. Vladimir Putin
President, Russia.  Age: 60.

Vladimir Putin, President Russia

Reelected for a third 6-year term as president in March after a few years swapping posts with Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, Putin officially regains the power that no one believes he truly gave up. This October the ex-KGB strongman–who controls a nuclear-tipped army, a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves–turned 60. That’s Russia’s retirement age, but who’s got the nerve to tell him to quit?

4. Bill Gates
Cochair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Age: 57.

Bill Gates, Co-chair Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The world’s second-richest man is worth $65 billion?and that’s after giving away more than $28 billion. Gates’ post-Microsoft mission includes eliminating many infectious and deadly diseases: By his own estimates, that could translate into 8 million lives saved by 2020. But the quintessential activist billionaire doesn’t stop there: Gates continues to persuade his peers to sign the “Giving Pledge,” promising to give away half their wealth or more.

5. Pope Benedict XVI
Pop, Roman Catholic Church.   Age: 85.

Pope Benedict XVI, Pop, Roman Catholic Church

How’s this for a job description? According to the doctrine of Papal Supremacy, the Pope enjoys “supreme, full, immediate, and universal power” over the souls of 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. They turn to the Vicar of Christ for the final word on life’s most personal decisions, including birth control, abortion, marriage and euthanasia. Of course, the pope faces dissent anyway–recently from “radical feminist” American nuns. As the leader of Vatican City, he’s also a head of state.

6. Ben Bernanke
Chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve.  Age: 59.

Ben Bernanke, Chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve

Big Ben has been on a buying spree: In a third round of quantitative easing, the Fed is now snapping up $40 billion a month of mortgage-backed securities and $45 billion of Treasury’s  Result: modest economic recovery and a near-record $2.9 trillion on the Fed’s balance sheet. The American economy’s “adult in the room” recently warned that there is only so much the Fed can do; politicians are the ones with the power to keep us from going over that fiscal cliff.

7. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud
King, Saudi Arabia.  Age: 88.

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, King, Saudi Arabia

The absolute monarch of the desert kingdom controls 20% of the world’s known oil reserves and guards Islam’s holiest cities. The Arab Spring couldn’t shake al Saud’s sovereignty, but out-of-control youth unemployment remains a threat. Aging Abdullah lost his second heir apparent in two years when his brother, Crown Prince Nayef, died in June; he’s been replaced by another brother, 76-year-old Crown Prince Salman, the former governor of Riyadh.

8. Mario Draghi
President, European Central Bank.  Age: 65.

Mario Draghi, President, European Central Bank

With the euro lurching constantly from crisis to crisis, the European Central Bank is more important than ever. As chief banker of the world’s largest ­currency area–the euro zone’s collective GDP is now more than $17 trillion–Draghi faces the Herculean task of trying to maintain financial unity across 17 countries. But if anyone can wrangle the interests of nations as diverse as Germany and Greece, it might be the man who navigated the minefield of Italian politics so deftly that he earned himself a nickname: “Super Mario.”

9. Xi Jinping
General Secretary, Communist Party Of China.   Age: 59.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during lunch at the State Department in Washington, DC,

The man who is likely to lead China for the next decade was recently promoted to the Communist Party’s top position; Xi also took over as chairman of the Party’s Central Military Commission, putting him in control of the world’s largest army. His rise to power will be complete in March, when he takes over for Hu Jintao as president and head of state. Xi’s only half of a Chinese power couple: His wife, Peng Liyuan, is a superstar folk singer.

10. David Cameron
Prime Minister, United Kingdom.  Age: 46.

David Cameron, Prime Minister, United Kingdom

Two years into office the Tory PM has gone from being called the second coming of Margaret Thatcher to standing in the shadow of Europe’s new Iron Lady, Angela Merkel. Cameron has rejected the German Chancellor’s call to increase the EU budget and threatened to veto anything but a spending freeze. At home he faces a sustained economic downturn, a disillusioned electorate and rumblings from his own party over Britain’s future.

Note: This list and detail is according to www.forbes.com

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10 Most Powerful Women Politicians

Here is a list of Top 10 Most Powerful Women Politicians around the world.

10 Most Powerful Women Politicians.

Dalia Grybauskaite. (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 10)

Dalia Grybauskaite: President of Lithuania

Dalia Grybauskaitė, born 1 March 1956 is the current President of Lithuania, inaugurated on 12 July 2009. She had previously been Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finance Minister, and European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget.
The list of top ten most authoritative women politicians cannot be concluded without naming the current President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite. Dalia might have worked part time to earn her Ph.D. in Economics but now she is the most influential lady in the nation and is referred to as the “Iron Lady” or the “Steel Magnolia”, Grybauskaitė is Lithuania’s first female head of state.

Tarja Halonen (Rank on 10 Most Powerful Women Politicians list: 9)

Tarja Halonen: President of Finland

Tarja Kaarina Halonen, born 24 December 1943 was the 11th President of Finland, serving from 2000 to 2012, the first female to hold the office. Apart from politics, she also had a long and extensive career in trade unions and in various nongovernmental organisations. A law graduate from the University of Helsinki, she was active in student politics as well as served as the Social Affairs Secretary and Organization Secretary of the National Union of Students from 1969 to 1970. Tarja was also a lawyer in the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions thus proving herself as one among the most powerful women politicians. During the time of her presidency she has been extremely popular among Finns: her approval ratings rose and reached a peak of 88% in December 2003. Ineligible to run in the 2012 presidential elections due to term limits, and she left office on 1 March 2012.

Laura Chinchilla (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 8)

Laura Chinchilla: President of Costa Rica

Born on 28 March 1959, Laura Chinchilla Miranda is a Costa Rican politician is the present President of Costa Rica. She is the first female President of Costa Rica and is the sixth woman to be elected president of a Latin American country, she was sworn in as president of Costa Rica on May 8, 2010. A former Vice President, she was also the Public Security Minister and Justice Minister in the National Liberation Party. Environmental protection and sustainability is very essential for the Lady, and she continues Costa Rica’s level of management in these sectors.

Johanna Sigurdardottir (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 7)

Johanna Sigurdardottir; Prime Minister of Iceland

Johanna Sigurdardottir, born 4 October 1942, is the current Prime Minister of Iceland. A former flight attendant, Johanna Sigurdardottir has entered politics 1978 and since then has won eight consecutive elections. The present Prime Minister of Iceland, she was also Iceland’s Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security. She has not only earned a named for being one of the most authoritative women politicians but also is the world’s first openly gay head of state. In 2009, Forbes listed her among the 100 Most Powerful Women in the world.

Sheikh Hasina Wajed (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 6)

Sheikh Hasina Wajed: Prime Minister of Bangladesh

The 62-year-old Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangladesh Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. Sheik Hasina Wajed was elected the Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice – once in 1996 and then again in 2009. The lady is still going strong and politically active despite losing 17 members of her family including her son in an assassination. Hasina is also a member of the Council of Women World Leaders whose aim is to mobilize women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women’s development.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 5)

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; President of Liberia

Served as Liberia’s Minister of Finance in the late 1970s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the 24th and current President of Liberia,born 29 October 1938. Educated at the University of Wisconsin and at Harvard she was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 jointly with Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakel Karman of Yemen. The women were recognized “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”. Dedicating her life for the non violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s right Ellen has been regarded one among the most powerful women politician.

Julia Gillard (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 4)

Julia Gillard; Prime Minister of Australia

The first woman Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since 24 June 2010. Julia Eileen Gillard was born in Barry on 29 September 1961, but later migrated to Adelaide, Australia in 1966 with her family. Previous to her existing post she was also the minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The 2010 federal election saw the first hung parliament since the 1940 federal election. Though she respects all religion she herself does not believe in any.

Dilma Rousseff (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 3)

Dilma Rousseff; Brazilian president

Dilma Vana Rousseff, the 36th and the present Brazilian president was born on 14 December 1947 and was raised in in an upper middle class household in Belo Horizonte. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff to the President of Brazil. She was a socialist since her childhood and had also joined various left-wing and Marxist urban guerrilla groups to fight against the military dictatorship. An economist by education, Dilma is one of the most authoritative women politicians who once said “I would like parents who have daughters to look straight in their eyes and tell them: ‘Yes, a woman can,’”.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 2)

Cristina Fernandez; President of Argentina

Born as Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner on 19 February 1953, commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner, Christina is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina’s first elected female president from the nation to hold this post. A fashion icon for women and a notable advocate for human rights, poverty awareness and health improvement she is the most outspoken promoter of Argentina’s claim to sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

 Angela Merkel (Rank on  Most Powerful Women list: 1)

Angela Merkel; German Chancellor

Angela Dorothea Merkel is a German Chancellor and the Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Merkel is the first female Chancellor of Germany, Born on 17 July 1954, Angela pursued doctorate degree in Physics before joining politics. Childless and twice married she won a seat in the Bundestag during the first post-reunification general election, in December 1990 and the very next year she was appointed as the Cabinet minister by Chancellor Helmut Kohl. A vital role player in the management of European financial crisis at international level, Angela Merkel is the most powerful women in the world of politics.

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