Has any other nation ever elected a minority as their president or prime minister?

[bluestateguy]

I have been searching for the answer to this question. Has any other nation-state that has free and democratic elections ever elected a ethnic or racial minority (that is, a minority within that respective country) as it's president or prime minister?

Before some of you snidely answer, NO, the white presidents during apartheid era South Africa do not count. Whites only elections do not meet the definition of free and democratic elections,

[Dr.Phool]

1. We elected a moron!

Oh. You said a minority.

Sorry.

[CBGLuthier]

2. Disraeli comes to mind

Pretty sure that jews were a minority in England then and now.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Yes Fujimora, Peru, for example.

[Rebellious Republican]

4. Peru

Alberto Ken'ya Fujimori
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Fujimori

[LeftishBrit]

5. 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was ethnically Jewish

He was a Christian convert; but even so, his ethnicity definitely made him a minority group member in Victorian Britain.

Later, Leon Blum was a Jewish Prime Minister of France in the 1930s. And yes, he was subjected to racism over it (including physical assault).

I think Peru had a president of Japanese origin at one point.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. Would Nicholas Sarkozy count?

He's part Greek/Jewish and part Hungarian. Only 1/4 ethnically French.

[AP]

6. Jamaica elected the great liberal Michael Manley PM a couple times.

(However, I think he might have had a black great grandparent on his father's mother's side, and his father was an Alpha Phi Alpha)

[HamdenRice]

18. Manley was not considered white, but you have the right country

Manley's center right rival, Edward Seaga, who was elected PM after Manley, was white.

[karynnj]

7. Slightly off tangent - but here is some soul searching from a third world

country,currently living with an ethnic based war, written immediately after the election. I had posted this in the John Kerry group, my home on DU. Out of laziness I am copying it because it goes to the heart of what you are speaking of.

"Yesterday morning, I spoke to one of my college daughters, who had in spring semester last year done her study abroad in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is currently in an eighteen year old civil war between 2 ethnic groups. When she was there, people were intensely interested in the election. Although a very small island, they are divided by ethnic group and religion. The two main ethnic groups, both of which originated in India are the Tamils, who are Hindu and the Sinhalese who are Buddhist. In addition, they have people who are Christian (mostly Catholics because of Portuguese Jesuits and Tamil speaking Moslems, who are descented from 14th century Moorish traders.) (I think I have this right) Many speak English as they were a British colony.

The day after the election, she went to the web site of their English language newspaper that she often read there. They show how incredible the reaction was immediately. It is fascinating that not only was their praise for the US, but internal soul searching on their own ethnic/religious divides. They do not see that anyone other than a Buddhist Sinhalese person could be chosen to lead in their country.

An except chosen by my daughter from the posts at the site:
"My wholehearted congratulations and well wishers from fellow citizens of Sri
Lanka. Your achievement gives an courage to the entire world. I wish that you
are very capable to solve the problems which has been arising so for in the
world. You have change the race and colour of the human in America. Good Luck
Good Luck

Posted By: Gamini H

Actually we love you.please make your concentration to develop third world
countries.congradulations.

Posted By: cbandara

Congratulations & Congratulations for the whole american people initialy
selecting a right candidate after 8 years. Mr.Obama deserves to be the president
of US. His entry as the US president will definetly change the US & the world to
a peacefull status. Well done Mr.Obama & god bless you.

Posted By: S.S.Sureshkumar

Now the challenge begun the world needs a change we r happy at least americans
choose some 1 from minority now justify it

Posted By: jehan

When is a Sri-Lankan going to feel the same way that an American felt listening
to Obama's victory speech ???

Posted By: HOPE

Will Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan (Singhalese) will learn a lesson from this
results? A BLACK skin personality can become a PRESIDENT OF AMERICA! Can either
a Tamil become a prime minister or president of Sri Lanka? It is only a day
draem in this RACIST country for ever!!!

Posted By: nandu

Congratulations. It is hoped that you will be able create that global village
that we long for- sans differentiations and divisions. Good Luck to you !!

Posted By: ys

Congratulations-America you showed the world it is not about color,religion,its
about love for your country and the determination to work hard for the people
and you delivered your verdict.If only we in Sri lanka could have chosen leaders
without religious and racial bias maybe we we would have never been in this
mess.I too think that Lakshman Kadirgamar would have been a statesman like Obama
but we are not blessed for such things.

Posted By: christine abeywickrema

This is good lession to singhele brothers and sisters to understand the
democratic in USA . Please let us as well make this (Sri lanka ) country peace
without racism . lets fight against the racism god bless this beatifull island

Posted By: Mohamed

Congratulations Dear Barak Hussain Obama! You have done it aginst all odds. You
have proved that if there is a will there is a way too.You have become the first
Afro-American President of USA and now it is up to you to be the first US
President to get the support of arch enemies of US ( Cuba , Venezula Libiya and
Iraq etc). Whatever happenes whole world is with you and you are the man of the
moment. Good Luck ! ! !

Posted By: Senaka Wijesinghe

Can ever at least a Sinhalese Catholic be the President of this country!!!
Amaricans have changed, when can we change???

Posted By: Ivan

Congratulations senator !! you have a gifted background to attract every people
by your charming words with confidence, hope you can see the world with a
different eye !! all the best to you !!!

Posted By: Riyazi

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in
one year or even one term, but America --I have never been more hopeful than I
am tonight that we will get there," - Barack Obama....anybody there for SL?,hope
this will be a good lesson for whole world

Posted By: sincere citizen"

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=31286

[karynnj]

9. Gordon Brown - United Kingdom

I would not have thought of him except for having spent some time with a young English friend of the family. From his comments, there was some unhappiness that a Scot was PM of the UK. They are a minority ethnic group in the UK. (yeah I know that James I of England = James VI of Scotland - an earlier precedent.)

[LWolf]

10. Many nations have elected women.

Not ethnic or racial, and not a minority in numbers, just in power.

Still, other nations have, and the U.S. has yet to elect a woman to the highest office in the land.

[Terran]

11. Hugo Chavez

He's mostly indio, which is minority status pretty much anywhere you go in Latin America.

[Orangepeel]

12. The current prime minister of India is Sekh

[Brewman_Jax]

13. Evo Morales, President of Bolivia

the country's first indigenous (Aymara) head of state.

[Beacool]

14. Of course, we are not unique in that respect.

More to the point, when are we going to a elect a woman??????????

:(

BTW, Peru elected Fujimori who was of Japanese descent.

[BluegrassDem]

15. The current president of Bolivia is an ethnic minority

I forget his name...I think it's Morales. He's from the ethnic Indian descent, not Spanish.

[HamdenRice]

20. But the Native Americans are actually the majority, so it was the Spanish presidents...

before Morales who actually were the minorities.

[Mass]

16. France elected a Jewish PM in 1936. Does that count?

[uponit7771]

17. No G8 status type country has elected a RACIAL minority in last 2000 years but there have been...

...smaller countries who've voted in racial minorities all the time.

The Egyptians, Kahns, Mayans, Romans and Chinese have never taking a racial minority of another color that represented only 1\10th of their countries racial population and put that person in power.

[HamdenRice]

19. Guyana elected a white, Jewish, American born woman, I believe

Janet Rosenberg Jagan, an American born white Jewish woman was elected in a country that was evenly divided majority is either Afro-Caribbean or of Indian descent. But she was the widow of the previous President.