Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Masire, Sir Ketumile (Quett Ketumile Joni Masire), 1925–2017, Botswanan political leader, president of Botswana (1980–98). He was a teacher and a farmer before taking up journalism and helping to ...

(Encyclopedia) Persson, Göran yöˈrän pĕrsˈsôn [key], 1949–, Swedish politician, prime minister (1996–2006). A member of the Social Democratic party, he was first elected to parliament in 1979, serving unt...

(Encyclopedia) Mollet, Guy gē môlĕˈ [key], 1905–75, French politician. A former schoolteacher and a wartime resistance fighter, he rose to prominence in the Socialist party after World War II. He served as min...

(Encyclopedia) Dehaene, Jean-Luc, 1940–2014, Belgian political leader, b. Montepellier, France. A member of the Flemish Christian People's (after 2001, Christian Democratic) party, he held numerous administrative ...

(Encyclopedia) Diori, Hamani, 1916–89, Nigerien political leader. A teacher in Niger and Paris, and then a school headmaster in Niamey, Niger, he helped found (1946) the Niger Progressive party (PPN). After servin...

(Encyclopedia) Abdo Benítez, Mario, 1971–, Paraguayan political leader, b. Asunción. The son of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner's private secretary, he served in the Paraguayan armed forces and graduated (1995) from Tei...

(Encyclopedia) Hyndman, Henry Mayers hīndˈmən [key], 1842–1921, English Socialist, an early advocate of Marxism in England. He was a journalist by profession. In 1881 he founded the parent organization of the S...

(Encyclopedia) Craxi, Bettino bətēˈnō krăˈksē [key], 1934–99, Italian political leader. Craxi joined the Italian Socialist party in 1957, eventually becoming deputy secretary (1970) and general secretary (1...

(Encyclopedia) Wijetunga, Dingiri Banda, 1916–2008, Sri Lankan political leader. A member of the United National party, he served in the parliament of Sri Lanka (1965–70, 1977–93), holding several cabinet post...

(Encyclopedia) Popović, Milentije pōˈpōvĭˈtyə [key], 1913–71, Yugoslav politician. Active in the Communist student movement, he became a member of the Yugoslav Communist party in 1939. He joined the partis...