The President of the People's Republic of China, 64-year-old Xi Jinping, became the leader of the rating after the Chinese deputies made amendments to the Constitution confirming the unlimited term in office of the PRC president. The Forbes publication notes that Xi Jinping has consolidated his status as the most influential leader since the days of Mao Zedong.
The leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, took the second place. But the creators of the rating note that he managed to win in the last elections with a record result for the post-Soviet time, 77% of the vote. For the first time, the Russian president topped the rating in 2013 displacing the American colleague Barack Obama.
Donald Trump, after a year of performing his duties, dropped in the ranking from the second to the third place. He could not get rid of a series of accusations and scandals in personal and political life. But, nevertheless, he is the head of the economic and military giant.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is de facto the leader of Europe. She won the heavy elections in 2017 and created a "big coalition" with political partners. Merkel should be prepared for the coming storms after Brexit and the growing anti-immigrant moods in Europe.
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Pope Francis, who occupies the sixth place, is the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics.
Forbes called the founder of Microsoft Bill Gates the king of philanthropists. In 2017, he transferred 64 million shares of Microsoft worth $4.6 billion to charity, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. This was the biggest donation of a billionaire.
This year there are 17 new names in the list including Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. His father remains king, but the prince undoubtedly consolidated power and took the country under his control. In November 2017, he launched an "anti-corruption campaign" which resulted in the arrest of many famous Saudis. Forbes believes that the prince will determine the Middle Eastern geopolitics for the next generation.
The rating also includes two representatives of India. The ninth place is held by the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The last person in the list is a developer and co-founder of Google, Larry Page.
The publication noted that the rating took into account four criteria. First of all, it was about the ability to influence a significant number of people. Financial resources were also taken into account (for heads of state, the size of GDP was considered, and for company managers - assets and incomes), whether the candidate has influence in other spheres, and, finally, how actively the list participants use power.
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