Leadership Transitions Around the World

Though the United States formed the first democratic government after declaring independence from Great Britain in 1776, in the intervening two hundred plus years, other democratic governments have followed suit. Some nations still maintain monarchical, authoritarian, and other nondemocratic regimes. Below is a brief exploration of elections and leadership transitions in six other nations: China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

China

When the Communist Party under Mao Zedong assumed power in 1949, Mao, as Communist Party Chairman, assumed control of the government. Chairman Mao remained in power until his death in 1976. Since Mao’s death, the Chinese Communist Party has continued to wield political power in China. The current leader of China is Xi Jinping, who holds the offices of General Secretary of the Communist Party and President. He began the first of what was to be two five-year terms as President in 2012. However, in 2018, Xi had the Chinese government remove the two-term limit for presidency, allowing for the possibility that Xi Jinping could remain president for life.

Iran

In 1921, Reza Khan seized power in Iran. Four years later, he declared himself “Shah” and changed his name to Reza Shah Pahlavi. His son Mohammad succeeded him in 1941 and remained in power until the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile and was named the Supreme Leader. Upon his death, he was replaced as Supreme Leader by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had previously served as President from 1981 to 1989.

Iran is an Islamic theocratic government under Sharia law. Though Iran does have a president, all leadership positions are controlled and chosen by the Supreme Leader. The President may serve two four-year terms. For nearly 40 years, Iran has been governed by the Supreme Leader who holds this position for life.

Mexico

After the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution in 1917, a new constitution was instituted. In 1929, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) was established. Ten years later, the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) became the opposition party. For 70 years, PRI won every presidential election in Mexico until the election of Vicente Fox as the PAN candidate in 2000. Though Mexico has a presidential system, with one party in power for an extended period of time, it remained a democracy in name only.

After a widely fraudulent election in 1988, the Mexican government instituted changes by creating a Federal Election Institute and Federal Electoral Tribunal. Though the president is popularly elected, there are no provisions for a candidate not winning a majority of the votes which has resulted in successful candidates winning only 36 percent of the vote. With several parties successfully electing a presidential candidate in the last 20 years, there is hope that Mexican politics are finally becoming more truly democratic.

Nigeria

After a long history of British colonialism, Nigeria achieved independence in 1960. For most of the first 40 years of independence, a series of military leaders and dictators ruled