From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The senior G8 leader is the person who has been the leader of a G8 country the longest. This is a chronology of who was the senior G8 leader at any given time after the founding of the G6 (a precursor organization to the G8).[1] The G8 leaders are the Prime Minister of Canada, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Italy, the Prime Minister of Japan, the President of Russia, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the President of the United States.
Entered office as
Head of State
or Government |
Began time as
senior G8 leader |
Left office &
Ended time as
senior G8 leader |
Person |
Office |
| March 4, 1974 |
November 15, 1975 |
April 5, 1976 |
Harold Wilson |
 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| May 16, 1974 |
April 5, 1976 |
June 27, 1976 |
Helmut Schmidt |
 Chancellor of West Germany |
| April 20, 1968 |
June 27, 1976[2] |
June 4, 1979 |
Pierre Trudeau |
 Prime Minister of Canada |
| May 16, 1974 |
June 4, 1979 |
October 1, 1982 |
Helmut Schmidt |
Chancellor of West Germany |
| May 4, 1979 |
October 1, 1982 |
November 28, 1990 |
Margaret Thatcher |
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| May 10, 1981 |
November 28, 1990 |
May 17, 1995 |
François Mitterrand |
 President of France |
| October 1, 1982 |
May 17, 1995 |
October 27, 1998 |
Helmut Kohl |
Chancellor of Germany |
| July 10, 1991 |
October 27, 1998 |
December 31, 1999 |
Boris Yeltsin |
 President of Russia |
| January 20, 1993 |
December 31, 1999 |
January 20, 2001 |
Bill Clinton |
 President of the United States |
| November 4, 1993 |
January 20, 2001 |
December 12, 2003 |
Jean Chrétien |
Prime Minister of Canada |
| May 17, 1995 |
December 12, 2003 |
May 16, 2007 |
Jacques Chirac |
President of France |
| May 2, 1997 |
May 16, 2007 |
June 27, 2007 |
Tony Blair |
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| December 31, 1999 |
June 27, 2007 |
May 7, 2008 |
Vladimir Putin |
President of Russia |
| January 20, 2001 |
May 7, 2008 |
Incumbent |
George W. Bush |
President of the United States |
[edit] Current senior G8 leader
President of the United States George W. Bush became the senior G8 leader when Vladimir Putin retired as Russian President on May 7, 2008. Having become President on January 20, 2001, Bush's term as President is scheduled to expire on January 20, 2009.
[edit] Next senior G8 leader
Upon Bush's retirement, Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi will become the Senior G8 Leader if he is still in office then. He has been Prime Minister twice before, for well over five years.
Next in seniority currently behind Berlusconi is Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel who became Chancellor on November 22, 2005. After Merkel would be Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada who assumed office on February 6, 2006 and President of France Nicolas Sarkozy who became President on May 16, 2007. Behind Sarkozy is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown who became Prime Minister on June 27, 2007 and Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda who assumed office on September 25, 2007. Last in seniority is Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who assumed office on May 7, 2008.
[edit] G8 tenure
- The longest period anyone has been the senior G8 leader is the eight years of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher who was Prime Minister for eleven years.
- Despite being founding members of the G6 (which later became the G7, and then the G8), Italy and Japan have never had their Prime Ministers become the Senior G8 Leader. Other than Silvio Berlusconi (currently the second-most senior G8 leader), no Prime Minister of Italy has ever held office for more than five years since the founding of the G6. No Prime Minister of Japan has ever held office for more than five years, four months since the founding of the G6.
- Except for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Harold Wilson, the first person to be Senior G8 Leader, no Senior G8 Leader has held office for less than eight years.
- The G8 leaders consist of four Prime Ministers (Canada, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom), three Presidents (France, Russia, and the United States), and one Chancellor (Germany).
- The Prime Ministers of Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom serve in monarchies. The other five G8 countries are republics.
- The President of the United States is the only G8 leader who is both head of state and head of government. France and Russia (which both have semi-presidential systems of government) send their heads of state to G8 meetings. The other five nations send their heads of government to G8 meetings.
- ^ Canada did not join the organization until 1976 while Russia did not join until 1997. Therefore, Canadian leaders prior to 1976 and Russian leaders before 1997 are not included in this list.
- ^ Canada joined the organization on this date. Trudeau had been in office longer than any of the other leaders and so took the title of senior G8 leader from Schmidt.
