Aneby, Sweden
Irene Oskarsson, 44, Member of Parliament (Christian Democratic Party)
The first thing that comes into mind is Fredrik Reinfeldt [the Prime Minister, Moderate party]. But the Wallenberg family also has big influence since they own so many corporations in Sweden.
Saurabh Gupta, 28, Travel Business Owner
That would be Sonia Gandhi [president of the ruling Indian National Congress Party]. She has a lot of influence as she is the one running the country. Our Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh, is acting as PM, but I think he is a puppet of Sonia Gandhi. She is running the country so I think she is the most influential. The people who support congress will say she has done a lot for the country and the people who don’t support congress will say otherwise. So you will come to know about the progress of everything once things are settled and this new government is formed again. So let’s see how the things work out.
Jason Haas, 32, Reporter
President Barack Obama as within minutes of his being elected I had the sense that our world popularity surged and the respect and adoration that people used to have towards America was mostly restored. People are really excited about America. There were people in Africa who were partying in the streets. It was wonderful!
Even before he was elected, at the speech he gave in Germany in Berlin there were tens of thousands of people; in Denver, thousands more in record attendance. And even here in little Milwaukee he filled an arena full of people. The main reason I think he is influential is because he brought out so many people who have not been involved in politics or civil affairs for years. I remember on voting day when I went to vote there were people there that I had never seen before that live very close to me, but I'd never seen them till that day, November 4th 2008. I think it was because of our president, Barack Obama.
Pam Watson, Academic Data Base Administrator
John Key, the Prime Minister. Because our parliament has only one house he can fast track legislation and is doing so. At the last election he vowed he would not make drastic changes, but he is now using the financial crisis to turn his right wing, white, middle class ideas into law.
Zuzana Petrikova, 26, Cafeteria Owner
For me, the most influential person in a positive sense could only be someone from culture. Maybe it will sound strange, but for me it is the actor and humorist Milan Lasica. Although he is just an actor, he has a big influence in our country regarding the shaping of public opinion.
During the communist era he ran a renowned underground theater with his colleague, which was rather strange, since on one side they were against the totalitarian regime, but on the other side they managed to get permission to perform; those actors still haven’t lost their prestige.
Itzik Yona, 44, Founder & CEO
Professor Stanley Fischer has left one of the highest positions in the financial world to follow his heart and passion and become the Governor of the Bank of Israel. In one of the most challenging eras in history he has been leading Israel’s unique economy through the different aspects of the current crisis while taking bold decisions and executing innovative strategies. As a result, Israel has been experiencing the global downturn in a much more moderate way than other countries.
Allan Endicott, 70, Retired
The most influential person I think would probably be the Prime Minister’s wife [Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s wife, Therese Rein] because she hears him more than anybody else does. Also she is a self-made millionaire; she is the person who’s worked hard and made the money.
Jean Lanthier, 53, General Contractor
The Prime Minister, Mr. Harper, he’s the one who has the last word, even if we don’t always agree with the choices, we have to live with it. He ultimately makes the decisions of what will get done.
Khodor Al Baba, 32, IT Manager
Actually all the current political leaders are influential nowadays. Especially that the people are divided among two main political groups. But to tell the truth, it is a negative influence. It is like being in a family where the mother and the father are fighting, while the children are paying for their conflicts and mistakes. So in Lebanon, the people are the children and the political leaders are the parents who are ruining the family.
Zareen Stephan, 27, Teacher
The most influential person in Pakistan is General Pervez Musharraf. He has the ability to handle any situation and had been in power for many years here. He is still influencing people around the world with his talks. I think he could handle the current political situation in Pakistan better then it is being handled.
Look for the Global Q&A column every week, when Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspective on local and global realities.
Next week’s global question: What do you think is the biggest issue facing your country right now?
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