On one hand, Putin became acting president after his predecessor resigned. But had opportunity to be voted for on two consecutive times as president of Russian Federation.
On the other hand, Mahama became president after his predecessor passed on. He was also voted for, to begin the 1st half of his 8 year maximum term, which ends January 2017.
Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has been 1st on the “Forbes List of The World’s Most Powerful People” since 2013 pipping USA’s Barack Obama to the 2nd position in 2015.
Forbes considers hundreds of candidates worldwide and calculates their power in the following parameters: power over lots of people, financial resources controlled by each person, power in multiple spheres, and active use of power.
In 2007 President Putin was “Time Magazine’s Person” of the year and also first on the “Most Influential People List” in the same magazine in 2015.
Rising through the ranks of his political career in Saint Petersburg from 1991, Putin became a prime minister from the year 1999 to 2000.
Following the resignation of President Boris Yeltsin, Putin became the acting president, and for the first time contested and won the Russian 2000 Presidential Election by 52%.
He was for the second time re-elected as a president in the year 2004 with 72% of the votes.
Due to Russian constitutional mandatory term limits, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive presidential term in 2008.
But, Dmitry Medvedev upon winning the Russian 2008 presidential election appointed Putin as a prime minister and chairman of the United Russia Party, making Putin a prime minister for the second time.
In September 2011 however, the Russian constitution extended presidential terms from 4 to 6 years, commencing a period called “tandemocracy”.
During the Russian 2012 presidential election, Putin for the third time contested for the presidency, won with 64% of the votes and remains the president of the Russian Federation.
However, after he seized Crimea and waged war-by-proxy in the Ukraine, the Russian currency Ruble, has been kneecapped, allegedly driving Russia into deepening recession, analysts claim.
Although he has reportedly been involved in some corrupt allegations, Putin has enjoyed very high domestic and foreign approval ratings throughout his career as a politician.
In a vox pop interview at Saint Petersburg, some citizens related to TV3 News that they hope former president Dmitry Medvedev will bounce back to maintain Russia when President Putin leaves office.
President John Dramani Mahama won the December 2012 polls narrowly against Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He won with 50.70% of the total valid votes cast beating his closest opponent by a marginal 3%.
The result of the elections was however challenged by the NPP in the highest court of the land.
Upon his return from Russia as a Social Psychologist, John Dramani Mahama worked with the Embassy of Japan in Accra until he was first elected to the Parliament of Ghana in 1996 to represent the popular Bole/Bamboi Constituency.
In 2000 and 2004 he was re-elected for another four year term each election to represent his constituency. He also served as the Chairperson of the West African Caucus at the Pan-African Parliament.
In 1997, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Communications and was later in 1998 promoted to be the Minister of Communications serving until the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) handed power over to the government of the NPP in January 2001.
In January 2009, Mahama became the Vice-President of Ghana and President in July 2012 following the death of his predecessor John Atta Mills as required by Ghana’s constitution.
But he also won the December 2012 polls to begin the 1st half of his 8 year maximum presidential term.
He was later elected as the Chairman of ECOWAS. During his tenure as the ECOWAS leader, President Mahama contributed to the fight against the Ebola crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the crisis in Burkina Faso, issues of terrorism such as the Boko Haram and the crisis in northern Mali.
That notwithstanding, crying out for a better economy, enquiring into the death of John Atta Mills and probe into an alleged Ford vehicle bribery saga have been an albatross around the President Mahama’s neck.
Some Ghanaians who speak to TV3 News at some campaign grounds in Ghana expressed varied reactions. While some say ‘We need change!’, others are pushing for continuity as they shout “JM toaso!”.
The president has however enjoyed both local and international recognition after rising through the Bole/Bamboi Constituency to become the President of the Republic of Ghana.
The next presidential election in Russia will be in March 2018 and President Putin is eligible to be nominated as a candidate for the post of the head of state again.
But will President Mahama’s ‘toaso’ (continue) or ’twaso’ (end) for the flagbearer of the NPP Nana Akufo-Addo to lead Ghana? Ghana Decides come 7th December!
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