People

• Head of state or governmentTurgut ÖzalHalil Turgut Özal was a Turkish politician, bureaucrat, engineer and statesman who served as the president of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the prime minister of Turkey from 1983 to 1989 as the leader of the Motherland Party. He was the deputy prime minister of Turkey in the military government of Bülend Ulusu between 1980 and 1982.
• Head of state or governmentAkbar Hashemi RafsanjaniAli Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani was an Iranian Shia cleric and politician who was the president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Rafsanjani was the head of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 until 2011 when he decided not to nominate himself for the post. He was also the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council.
• Head of state or governmentRajendra PrasadRajendra Prasad was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962 for two terms. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement and became a major leader from the region of Bihar. A supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, Prasad was imprisoned by British authorities during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930 and the Quit India movement of 1942. After the constituent assembly 1946 elections, Prasad served as 1st Minister of Food and Agriculture in the central government from 1947 to 1948. Upon independence in 1947, Prasad was elected as President of the Constituent Assembly of India, which prepared the Constitution of India and which served as its provisional Parliament.
• Head of state or governmentFaisal of Saudi ArabiaFaisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 until his assassination in 1975. Before his ascension, he served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964, and he was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964. He was prime minister from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1975. Faisal was the third son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
• Head of state or governmentHussein of JordanHussein bin Talal was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. A member of the Hashemite dynasty, he is regarded as a 40th-generation descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
• Head of state or governmentKhalifa bin Zayed Al NahyanSheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi from 2004 until his death in 2022.
• Head of state or governmentFahd of Saudi ArabiaFahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982.
• Head of state or governmentHamad bin Isa Al KhalifaHamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa is King of Bahrain, having reigned since 2002, and was previously Emir of Bahrain since 1999.
• Head of state or governmentCelâl BayarMahmut Celâlettin "Celâl" Bayar was a Turkish economist and politician who was the president of Turkey from 1950 to 1960. He previously served as the prime minister of Turkey from 1937 to 1939.
• Emir of Qatar since 2013Tamim bin Hamad Al ThaniTamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013.
• Head of state or governmentIsaac HerzogIsaac Herzog is an Israeli politician who has been serving since 2021 as the president of Israel. He is the first president to have been born in Israel after its Declaration of Independence.
• Head of state or governmentCemal GürselCemal Gürsel was a Turkish military officer and politician who was the president of Turkey from 1960 to 1966 after taking power in a coup d'état.
• Head of state or governmentReuven RivlinReuven "Ruvi" Rivlin is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the president of Israel between 2014 and 2021. He is a member of the Likud party. Rivlin was Minister of Communications from 2001 to 2003, and subsequently served as Speaker of the Knesset from 2003 to 2006 and 2009 to 2013. On 10 June 2014, he was elected President of Israel. His term ended on 7 July 2021.
• Head of state or governmentAhmet Necdet SezerAhmet Necdet Sezer is a Turkish statesman and judge who served as the president of Turkey from 2000 to 2007. Previously, he was president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from January 1998 to May 2000. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey elected Sezer as president in 2000 after Süleyman Demirel's seven-year term expired. He was succeeded by Abdullah Gül in 2007.
• Head of state or governmentYair LapidYair Lapid is an Israeli politician and former journalist who has been the Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in that role from 2020 to 2021. He was prime minister of Israel from July to December 2022, the second alternate prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett from 2021 to 2022, and Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013 to 2014. He has led the centrist Yesh Atid party since its creation in 2012.
• Head of state or governmentKenan EvrenAhmet Kenan Evren was a Turkish military officer who served as the 7th president of Turkey from 1982 to 1989. He assumed the post by leading the 1980 military coup.
• Head of state or governmentLal Bahadur ShastriLal Bahadur Shastri was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of India from 1964 to 1966. He previously served as home minister from 1961 to 1963.
• Head of state or governmentMohammed bin Rashid Al MaktoumSheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is an Emirati politician and royal. He is the current ruler of Dubai and serves as the vice president and prime minister of the UAE. Mohammed succeeded his brother Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as UAE vice president, UAE prime minister and ruler of Dubai following the latter's death in 2006.
• Head of state or governmentMichel AounMichel Naim Aoun is a Lebanese politician and former general who served as the 13th president of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 to 30 October 2022.
• Head of state or governmentYitzhak ShamirYitzhak Shamir was an Israeli politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Israel, serving two terms. Before the establishment of the State of Israel, Shamir was a leader of the Zionist militant group Lehi, also known as the Stern Gang.
• Head of state or governmentAbdullah I of JordanAbdullah I was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emir of Transjordan, a British protectorate, until 25 May 1946, after which he was king of an independent Jordan. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Abdullah was a 38th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad.
• Head of state or governmentChaim WeizmannChaim Azriel Weizmann was an Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the Zionist Organization and later as the first president of Israel. He was elected on 16 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952. Weizmann was instrumental in obtaining the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and convincing the United States government to recognize the newly formed State of Israel in 1948.
• Head of state or governmentJalal TalabaniJalal Talabani was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the 6th president of Iraq from 2005 to 2014, as well as the president of the Governing Council of Iraq.
• Head of state or governmentSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-SabahSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was the Emir of Kuwait from 24 January 2006 until his death in 2020.
• Head of state or governmentSaud of Saudi ArabiaSaud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 until his abdication on 2 November 1964. During his reign, he served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1954 and from 1960 to 1962. Prior to his accession, Saud was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 11 May 1933 to 9 November 1953. He was the second son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.
• Head of state or governmentEhud BarakEhud Barak is an Israeli former general and politician who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party between 1997 and 2001 and between 2007 and 2011. He was also Minister of Defense from 2007 to 2013.
• Head of state or governmentMorarji DesaiMorarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian politician and independence activist who served as the prime minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his long career in politics, he held many important posts in government such as the chief minister of Bombay State, the home minister, the finance minister, and the deputy prime minister.
• Head of state or governmentRafic HaririRafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004.
• Head of state or governmentZakir HusainZakir Husain Khan was an Indian educationist and politician who served as the vice president of India from 1962 to 1967 and president of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969.
• Head of state or governmentKhalid of Saudi ArabiaKhalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 25 March 1975 until his death in 1982. Before his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Khalid was the sixth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Head of state or governmentFahri KorutürkFahri Sabit Korutürk was a Turkish admiral, diplomat and politician who was the president of Turkey from 1973 to 1980. Before his presidency, he served as the commander of the Turkish Naval Forces from 1957 to 1960.
• Head of state or governmentAbolhassan BanisadrAbolhassan Banisadr was an Iranian politician, writer, and political dissident who served as the first president of Iran following the Iranian Revolution, holding office from 1980 until his impeachment in 1981. Prior to his presidency, he was served as minister of foreign affairs in the Interim Government of Iran.
• Head of state or governmentP. V. Narasimha RaoPamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao was an Indian independence activist, lawyer, and politician from the Indian National Congress who served as the prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He was the first person from South India and the second person from a non-Hindi speaking background to be prime minister. He is known for his role in initiating India's economic liberalisation following an economic crisis in 1991, a process that has been sustained and expanded by every successive prime minister of the country.
• Head of state or governmentCevdet SunayAhmet Cevdet Sunay was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the president of Turkey from 1966 to 1973.
• Head of state or governmentV. V. GiriVarahagiri Venkata Giri, better known as V. V. Giri was an Indian statesman, activist, and diplomat who served as the president of India from 1969 to 1974. He previously served as the vice president of India from 1967 to 1969 and the minister of labour from 1952 to 1954.
• Head of state or governmentSaad HaririSaad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri is a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. The son of Rafic Hariri, he founded and has been leading the Future Movement party since 2007. He is seen as "the strongest figurehead" of the March 14 Alliance.
• Head of state or governmentHamad bin Khalifa Al ThaniHamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was Emir of Qatar from 1995 until his abdication in 2013. He was also prime minister of Qatar from 1995 to 1996.
• Head of state or governmentMohamed bin Zayed Al NahyanMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also known as MBZ or MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who has served as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. He was the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates from 2014 to 2022, ruling for his brother Sheikh Khalifa.
• Head of state or governmentK. R. NarayananKocheril Raman Narayanan was an Indian diplomat, academician, and statesman who served as the president of India from 1997 to 2002 and vice president of India from 1992 to 1997.
• Head of state or governmentLevi EshkolLevi Eshkol, born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik, was the prime minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. A founder of the Israeli Labor Party, he served in numerous senior roles, including Minister of Defense (1963–1967) and Minister of Finance (1952–1963).

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