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European Ex-Leaders: What are They Doing after Resignation?

There are people who are not forgotten even if many years and decades pass. Once prominent and popular leaders... Do they still remain in politics or are they engaged in anything else? 

 On May 13, 2010, in his first public appearance since leaving 10 Downing Street, two days after resigning as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, Gordon Brown confirmed he intended to stay in the Parliament, serving as a Labour backbencher.

Towards the end of May 2010, Brown began writing Beyond the Crash, completing it after 14 weeks. The book discusses the 2007–08 financial crisis and Brown's recommendations for future co-ordinated global action.

He played a prominent role in the lead-up to, and the aftermath of, the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. In December 2014, Brown announced that he would stand down from parliament in May 2015 and on that month he did.

In April 2011, media reports linked Brown with the role as the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund following the scheduled retirement of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Brown's successor and Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband, supported Brown for the role while the Prime Minister, David Cameron, voiced opposition to this. Following the arrest of Strauss-Kahn for alleged sexual assault in May 2011, and his subsequent resignation, these reports re-surfaced.[134] Support for Brown among economists was mixed but British Government backing for his candidature was not forthcoming and instead supported Christine Lagarde—the eventual successful candidate—for the post.

In April 2011 it was announced that Brown would be taking on an unpaid advisory role at the World Economic Forum. Brown was also appointed as the inaugural 'Distinguished Leader in Residence' by New York University and has already taken part in discussions and lectures relating to the global financial crisis and globalisation.

In July 2012 Brown was named by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as a United Nations Special Envoy on Global Education.

In December 2015, Brown took his first large-scale role in the private sector since standing down as prime minister in 2010, becoming an advisor to Pimco. Any money earned from the role is to go to the Gordon and Sarah Brown Foundation to support charitable work.

 

 

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been elected leader of the oppositional right-wing party UMP (Union for Popular Movement), marking his return to politics and beginning his bid for French presidency in 2017.

''The time for action has come...this vote marks a new beginning for our political family...we must be united and dedicate ourselves to find new solutions for France,'' Sarkozy said, according to RT.

However, Sarkozy is entering the post with a political past that still haunts him. The former president has been heavily criticized for education reforms that triggered massive protests, as well as raising the retirement age, deporting Roma people, and dragging France into the Libyan conflict.

Apart from that, Sarkozy’s career has also been gripped by financial scandals. Six months after becoming president, he raised his salary by 140 percent. Both his 2007 and 2012 election campaigns are under investigation at the moment for being allegedly financed through fraud.

However, according to the experts, these scandals are unlikely to hurt Sarkozy’s future presidential campaign.

 

Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was among the most popular German chancellors, a charismatic figure, always getting far higher approval ratings than his party (Social Democrats, aka SPD).

When he was elected in 1998, he actually got 6 votes of the opposition - the first time that ever happened. He was also the first (and only) chancellor to leave out the optional "so help me God" from his oath of office.

Immediately after Angela Merkel formed the new government, Gerhard Schröder accepted a job offer of the Nord Stream AG, which is 51% owned by Gazprom. His chairmanship of the shareholders' board caused a big scandal because Schröder had made many decisions regarding the Nord Stream gas pipeline while he was chancellor, Quora reports.

In a survey on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany, he was rated the second least credible chancellor out of the 8 chancellors.

On the question "Was X a good chancellor", Schröder has less fans and a lot more haters than any other chancellor. By accepting to work for Gazprom and later appearing as a lobbyist for them and for Russia, Gerhard Schröder turned from one of the most popular charismatic politicians into one of the least popular.

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