THE WORLD PORTAL

Vladimir Putin was the second president and the current prime minister of Russia. He also served as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He served Russia as president in two times. Putin got good public opinion throughout his presidential and prime minister terms. He was born in St Petersburg as the child of Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, a factory foreman and Maria Ivanovna Putina. He graduated from Leningrad State University. Thereafter he was recruited into the KGB. He also became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1990, he was appointed Mayor Sobchak’s advisor on international affairs. Then he became Mr Sobchak’s head of external relations and then served as deputy mayor from March 1994. In 1998, President Boris Yeltsin appointed him as head of the powerful Security Council. After Boris Yeltsin sacked Sergei Stepashin in August 1999, he became Russia’s prime minister. On the last day of the 20th century, Boris Yeltsin resigned and appointed him as acting president. Before presidency he had no experience of elected office. Afterwards he proved that he is a good speaker and he became most popular among young people, Muscovites and educated people. In 2000, his popularity increased, when he came in for serious criticism in relation to his ignoring of the Kursk submarine disaster. But in 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis, the death of 130 hostages in the special forces’ rescue operation seriously affect the President Putin’s popularity. On his presidency, Russia’s economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase six-fold , poverty cut more than half and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640, or by 150% in real rates. In 2008, he was appointed as prime minister of Russia. Putin married to Lyudmila Shkrebneva and they have two daughters. He has good command of English and German and he is fond of sports, especially judo. Also he received many awards. In 2007, Putin was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine.

Asif Ali Zardari is the current president of Pakistan and co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He was the husband of Pakistan’s former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He was born in Sindh in a Shi’a muslim family as the son of Hakim Ali Zardari. He got his school education from Cadet College Petaro. This is the only education that he has received. He is popular in Pakistan political scene after the marriage with Benazir Bhutto. He worked as a member of the National Assembly and minister of environment during his wife’s second term as the prime minister. As environment minister, he announced that every school in Pakistan had an environment & forestry department which had motivated every student to plant one tree. He also worked as a senator. After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Zardari appointed himself with his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the co-chairman of the PPP. Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif’s joining party won a heavy majority in the election against Musharraf’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q. After the election, he called for a government of national unity, and divided cabinet portfolios among coalition partners on proportionate basis, and he announce that Yousaf Raza Gillani would be the PM for a five year term. After the resignation of Pervez Musharraf, Zardari was elected president of Pakistan. Regarding November 2008 Mumbai attacks, he offered his country’s full cooperation with the investigation and said that he would take strict action if it is found the terrorists were based in Pakistan. He has served more than 11 years in jail, been charged with corruption and even murder. He was accused of money-laundering activities in a US Senate report on private banking and money-laundering. At last Government of Pakistan withdrew all cases against Zardari.