There have been many

atheists Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

who have participated in

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

. This is a list of atheists in politics and law. Living persons in this list are people whose atheism is relevant to their notable activities or public life, and who have publicly identified themselves as atheists. Ayaan Hirsi Ali by Gage Skidmore

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R14128A, Martin Bormann

Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz VII kadencja Kancelaria Senatu

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R1220-401, Erich Honecker

Samora_Moises_Machel_detail_DF-SC-88-01383

Alexis Tsipras die 16 Ianuarii 2012 cropped

Africa

* Zackie Achmat (1962–): South African anti-Apartheid activist and HIV campaigner. *

Kareem Amer Kareem Nabil Suleiman Amer ( ar, كريم نبيل سليمان عامر, ) (born c. 1984) is an Egyptian Norwegian blogger and former law student. He was arrested by Egyptian authorities for posts on his blog that were considered to be anti-reli ...

(1984–): Egyptian political activist. * Alex Erwin (1948–): South African politician, the country's Minister of Public Enterprises from 2004 to 2009. *

Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani , was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce ...

(1942–1993): South African anti-Apartheid activist, General Secretary of the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing N ...

from 1991 to 1993 and Deputy Commander of uMkhonto we Sizwe from 1987 to 1992 . *

Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer (20 November 192313 July 2014) was a South African writer and political activist. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognized as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writing has ... been of very great b ...

(1923–2014): South African anti-Apartheid

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

.''Paris Review''
Interview with Gordimer
. *

Maikel Nabil Sanad Maikel Nabil Sanad (also transcribed as ''Michael'' arz, مايكل نبيل سند, ; born in 1985 in Asyut), is an Egyptian political activist, blogger, and a former political prisoner. He became famous in 2010 for refusing to serve in ...

(1985–): Egyptian political activist. *

Joe Slovo Joe Slovo (born Yossel Mashel Slovo; 23 May 1926 – 6 January 1995) was a South African politician, and an opponent of the apartheid system. A Marxist-Leninist, he was a long-time leader and theorist in the South African Communist Pa ...

(1926–1995): South African Communist politician, leader of the

and leading member of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

. *

Ronnie Kasrils Ronald Kasrils (born 15 November 1938) is a South African politician, Marxist revolutionary, guerrilla and military commander. He was Minister for Intelligence Services from 27 April 2004 to 25 September 2008. He was a member of the National ...

(1938–): South African anti-Apartheid politician. *

Richard Leakey Richard Erskine Frere Leakey (19 December 1944 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician. Leakey held a number of official positions in Kenya, mostly in institutions of archaeology and wildlife conse ...

(1944–2022): Kenyan politician, conservationist and paleoanthropologist. * Samora Moisés Machel (1933–1986): Mozambican socialist revolutionary. *

Mengistu Haile Mariam Mengistu Haile Mariam ( am, መንግሥቱ ኀይለ ማሪያም, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian politician and former army officer who was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Wor ...

(1937–): Ethiopian politician and military dictator. * Kingunge Ngombale–Mwiru (1930–2018):

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

n politician.

Asia

Afghanistan

Nemat Sadat Nemat Sadat ( fa, نعمت سادات) is an Afghan-American journalist, novelist, human rights activist, and former professor of political science at the American University of Afghanistan. Known for his debut novel ''The Carpet Weaver'' and his ...

(1979–): Ex-Muslim

LGBT Rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

Activist, journalist and writer, former professor of

American University of Afghanistan The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) ( fa, ; ps, ) is an Afghan private university located in the Darulaman section of Kabul. Most students of AUAF currently live abroad and there are plans to create a new AUAF campus in Qatar in the ...

Cambodia

Pol Pot Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist ...

(1925–1998): Communist politician and dictator of Cambodia, which became an atheist state under his rule.

China

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

(1953–): Chinese politician currently serving as

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount lead ...

President of the People's Republic of China The president of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the president of China, is the head of state and the second-highest political office of the People's Republic of China. The presidency is constitutionally a largely ceremonial off ...

, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. *

Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, and ...

(1942–): Chinese politician who was the

paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important political figure in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), often hol ...

of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

from 2002 to 2012. He held the offices of

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the Communist Party from 2002 to 2012,

from 2003 to 2012 and Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 2004 to 2012. He was a member of the

Politburo Standing Committee The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Histori ...

, China's de facto top decision-making body, from 1992 to 2012. *

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as p ...

(1926–2022): Chinese communist politician,

1989–2002 and

1993–2003. In June 1999, Jiang established an extralegal department, the 6-10 Office, to expel Falun Gong from mainland China. On 20 July, security forces abducted and detained thousands of Falun Gong organizers they identified as leaders. The

persecution of Falun Gong The persecution of Falun Gong is the antireligious campaign initiated in 1999 by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to eliminate the spiritual practice of Falun Gong in China, maintaining a doctrine of state atheism. It is characterized by ...

that followed was characterized a nationwide campaign of propaganda, as well as the large-scale arbitrary imprisonment and coercive reeducation of Falun Gong organizers, sometimes resulting in death. *

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. Aft ...

(1904–1997): Chinese politician. He was the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 until his retirement in 1989. *

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the List of national founde ...

(1893–1976): Chinese military and political leader,

Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party The Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party () was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. The position was established at the 8th National Congress in 1945 and abolished at the 12th National Congress in 1982, bei ...

, who led the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

to victory in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...

, and was the leader of the People's Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. Under his leadership, China officially became an

atheist state State atheism is the incorporation of positive atheism or non-theism into political regimes. It may also refer to large-scale secularization attempts by governments. It is a form of religion-state relationship that is usually ideologically l ...

. *

Hua Guofeng Hua Guofeng (; born Su Zhu; 16 February 1921 – 20 August 2008), alternatively spelled as Hua Kuo-feng, was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and Premier of the People's Republic of China. The desig ...

(1921–2008): Chinese politician and paramount leader of China until 1978.

India

* Jyoti Basu (1914–2010) *

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also known as Buddha Babu (born 1 March 1944) is an Indian Communist politician and a former member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He served as the 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal from 20 ...

(1944–) *

Manik Sarkar Manik Sarkar is an Indian communist politician who served as the Chief Minister of Tripura from March 1998 to March 2018. He is a Politburo Member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). In March 2008, he was sworn in as leader of Left Fr ...

(1949–) * Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, known as Periyar (1879–1973): Social reformer and politician, the 'Socrates of Southern Asia', who founded the Self-Respect Movement and

Dravidar Kazhagam Dravidar Kazhagam is a social movement founded by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, also called Thanthai Periyar. Its original goals were to eradicate the ills of the existing caste system including untouchability and on a grander scale to obtain a " ...

. *

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

(1889–1964): India's first Prime Minister and a secular-described " scientific humanist" who disavowed belief in gods. *

Sahodaran Ayyappan Kumbalathuparambu Ayyappan (August 21, 1889 – March 6, 1968), better identified as Sahodaran Ayyappan , was a social reformer, thinker, rationalist, journalist, and politician from Kerala, India. A vocal follower of Sree Narayana Guru, he was ...

(1889–1969): Co-founder of the modern atheist movement in Kerala state in India, and minister in Travancore-Cochin government. * Goparaju Ramachandra Rao, Well known as Gora (1902–1975) Social reformer, founded Atheist Centre on the principles of positive Atheism. Participated in Indian freedom movement, preached atheism. *M.A. John (1936–2011): Leader of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

and atheist. * Subhashini Ali (1947–):

Marxist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...

politician and President of the

All India Democratic Women's Association All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) is a women's organisation committed to achieving democracy, equality and women's emancipation. It has an organizational presence in 23 states in India, with a current membership of more than 11 m ...

. *

Kanimozhi Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (born 5 January 1968) is an Indian politician, poet and journalist. She is a Member of Parliament, representing Thoothukkudi constituency in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament). She was also a former ...

(1968–): Politician and poet, and daughter of the

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

Chief Minister

M. Karunanidhi Muthuvel Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018) was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011. He was popularly referred to as Kalaignar (Art ...

. *

(1924–2018): Ex-

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests w ...

. *

M. K. Stalin Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin ( , born 1 March 1953), often referred to by his initials MKS, is an Indian Tamil politician serving as the 8th and current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The son of the former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Stalin ...

(1953–):

since 2021. *

Manabendra Nath Roy Manabendra Nath Roy (born Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, better known as M. N. Roy; 21 March 1887 – 25 January 1954) was an Indian revolutionary, radical activist and political theorist, as well as a noted philosopher in the 20th century. Roy ...

(1887–1954): Born Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, popularly known as M. N. Roy, was a Bengali Indian revolutionary, internationally known political theorist and activist, founder of the Communist parties in Mexico and India. He later denounced communism and became an exponent of the philosophy of radical humanism. *

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary* * who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer * * in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian national ...

(1907–1931): Marxist revolutionary, wrote a pamphlet entitled ''Why I am an atheist''. * Harkishan Singh Surjeet (1916–2008): Politician, General Secretary of the

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...

from 1992 to 2005 and a member of the party's Polit Bureau from 1964 to 2008. *

A. K. Gopalan Ayillyath Kuttiari Gopalan (1 October 1904 – 22 March 1977), popularly known as A. K. Gopalan or AKG, was an Indian communist politician. He was one of 16 Communist Party of India members elected to the first Lok Sabha in 1952. Later he beca ...

(1904–1977): Communist leader from Kerala and former

Leader of the Opposition (India) The Leaders of the Opposition of India (IAST: ) are the politicians who lead the official opposition in either House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of the Opposition is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in t ...

. *

E. M. S. Namboodiripad Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad (13 June 1909 – 19 March 1998), popularly known as EMS, was an Indian communist politician and theorist, who served as the first Chief Minister of Kerala in 1957–1959 and then again in 1967–1969. ...

(1909–1998): Politician, renowned socialist and a Marxist theorist, first Chief Minister of Kerala. He also became the leader of the first democratically elected communist government in the world. *K.N. Ramachandran (1937–): Naxalite leader and General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Red Star *

Prakash Karat Prakash Karat (born 7 February 1948) is an Indian Communist politician. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 2005 to 2015. Education and early career Prakash Karat was born in Letpadan, Burma on 7 Februar ...

(1948–): Politician, The General Secretary of the

from 2005 to 2015. *

Siddaramaiah Siddaramaiah (born 3 August 1947), also referred to by his nickname Siddu, Siddaramaiah served as Chief Minister of Karnataka from 13 May 2013 to 17 May 2018 and currently serving as the leader of the opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assemb ...

(1948–):

Chief Minister of Karnataka The Chief minister (India), chief minister of Karnataka, formerly known as the chief minister of Mysore, is the Head of government, chief executive officer of the Government of Karnataka, government of the India, Indian state of Karnataka. As pe ...

elected to office in 2013. *

E. K. Nayanar Erambala Krishnan Nayanar (9 December 191919 May 2004) was an Indian Communist politician of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M). He served three terms as the Chief Minister of Kerala (1980–1981, 1987–1991 and 1996–2001) fo ...

(1918–2004): Politician, former

Chief Minister of Kerala The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minist ...

* A. K. Antony (1940–): Politician, former

V. S. Achuthanandan Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan (born 20 October 1923) is an Indian Communist politician who was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. At 82, he is the oldest person to have assumed the office. He served as the chairman of Adm ...

(1923–): Politician, former

Pinarayi Vijayan Pinarayi Vijayan (; born 24 May 1945) is an Indian Communist politician who is the current Chief Minister of Kerala, serving since 25 May 2016. A member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he is the longest-serving sec ...

(1944–): Politician, current

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

(1954–): Politician, President of Makkal Needhi Maiam, Actor * Manoj John (1972–): Former Naxalite and member of Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Red Star, and current Director of Atheist Alliance International, an organisation having consultative status at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

. *

Udhayanidhi Stalin Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian film producer, actor, and politician who prominently works in the Tamil cinema. He is the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu in the ministry led by his father, ...

(1977–): Politician, member of the

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members of whom are democratically elected using the First-past-the-post system. The presiding officer of the Assembl ...

, son of current

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests w ...

, M. K. Stalin. * V.T. Balram (1978–): Indian law-maker representing

who supported Amnesty International in a controversy involving Hindu nationalist student organisation ABVP. *Sharad Pawar(1978–): Former Chief minister of maharashtra.

Japan

Hideki Tojo Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...

(1884–1948): Politician, military general, and

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan ( Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of S ...

from 1941 to 1944. Was raised

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...

but never really identified with the religion or any belief in gods.

Middle East

Uri Avnery Uri Avnery ( he, אורי אבנרי, also transliterated Uri Avneri; 10 September 1923 – 20 August 2018) was an Israeli writer, politician, and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement. A member of the Irgun as a teenager, Avnery sat for t ...

(1923–2018): German-born Israeli

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

peace activist A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pe ...

, and former

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...

member. * Ali Al Bukhaiti (1976–):

Yemeni Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

politician, journalist, and writer. *

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the nam ...

(1886–1973): Polish-Israeli politician; a founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel. *

Moshe Dayan Moshe Dayan ( he, משה דיין; 20 May 1915 – 16 October 1981) was an Israeli military leader and politician. As commander of the Jerusalem front in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953–1958) dur ...

(1915–1981): Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

(1953–58). He went on to become Defense Minister and later Foreign Minister of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. *

George Hawi George Hawi ( ar, جورج حاوي; born 5 November 1938 – 21 June 2005) was a Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP). An outspoken critic of Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs, he was kill ...

(1938–2005): Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the

Lebanese Communist Party The Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), abbr. PCL is a communist party in Lebanon. It was founded in 1924 by the Lebanese intellectual, writer and reporter Yusuf Yazbek and Fu'ad al-Shamali, a tobacco worker from Bikfaya. History Creation The Sy ...

. *

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and '' kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to ...

(1898–1978): Israeli politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of

. *

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

(1922–1995): Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize together with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat.

Mongolia

Khorloogiin Choibalsan Khorloogiin Choibalsan ( mn, Хорлоогийн Чойбалсан, spelled ''Koroloogiin Çoibalsan'' before 1941; 8 February 1895 – 26 January 1952) was the leader of Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic) and Marshal (general chief com ...

(1895–1952): Communist politician and dictator of Mongolia.

North Korea

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

(1912–1994): Founder of North Korea and the ''

Juche ''Juche'' ( ; ), officially the ''Juche'' idea (), is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il-sung, the country's founder and f ...

'' ideology, Supreme Leader from 1948 to 1994. *

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Ki ...

(1942–2011): Supreme Leader from 1994 to 2011. *

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...

(1983–): Supreme Leader since 2011.

Vietnam/North Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as (' Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as P ...

(1890–1969): North Vietnamese leader who served as

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam ( vi, Tổng Bí thư Ban Chấp hành Trung ương Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam), known as First Secretary ( vi, Bí thư Thứ nhất) from 1960 to 1976, is t ...

from 1956 to 1960. *

Xuan Thuy Xuan () may refer to: * Xuancheng, formerly Xuan Prefecture (Xuanzhou), Anhui, China ** Xuanzhou District, seat of Xuancheng and Xuan Prefecture ** Xuan paper Xuan paper (''xuanzhi'' ), or Shuen paper or rice paper, is a kind of paper origin ...

(1912–1985): North Vietnamese political figure, foreign minister for North Vietnam 1963–65, official leader of the delegation to the secret talks with

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

, and the main negotiator at the earliest meetings with Kissinger.

Oceania

Australia

* Montague Miller (1839–1920): unionist, secularist and revolutionary socialist. *

William Trenwith William Arthur Trenwith (15 July 1846 – 26 July 1925) was a pioneer trade union official and labour movement politician for Victoria, Australia. Early life Born to convict parents at Launceston, Tasmania, he followed his father's trade as ...

(1846–1925): trade union official and labour movement politician. *

Frederick Vosper Frederick Charles Burleigh Vosper (23 March 1869 – 6 January 1901) was an Australian newspaper journalist and proprietor, and politician. He was well known for his ardent views and support of Australian republicanism, federalism and trade unio ...

(1869–1901): newspaper journalist and proprietor, and politician, known for his ardent views and support of Australian republicanism, federalism and trade unionism. * Sir John Latham (1877–1964):

Chief Justice of Australia The Chief Justice of Australia is the presiding Justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia. The incumbent is Susan Kiefel, who is the first woman to hold the position. C ...

(1935–1952). *

Lionel Murphy Lionel Keith Murphy QC (30 August 1922 – 21 October 1986) was an Australian politician, barrister, and judge. He was a Senator for New South Wales from 1962 to 1975, serving as Attorney-General in the Whitlam Government, and then sat on the ...

(1922–1986): Justice of the High Court (1975–1986). *

Bill Hayden William George Hayden (born 23 January 1933) is an Australian politician who served as the 21st governor-general of Australia from 1989 to 1996. He was Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 1983, and served as ...

(1933–):

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Alan Carpenter Alan John Carpenter (born 4 January 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th Premier of Western Australia, from 2006 to 2008. From Albany, Carpenter graduated from the University of Western Australia, and worked as a journ ...

(1957–):

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

(2006–2008). *

Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...

(1961–):

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the princip ...

(2010–2013).

New Zealand

Norman Douglas George Norman Douglas (8 December 1868 – 7 February 1952) was a British writer, now best known for his 1917 novel '' South Wind''. His travel books, such as ''Old Calabria'' (1915), were also appreciated for the quality of their writing. ...

(1910–1985): Labour Party politician. * Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (1901–1989): Politician, Mayor of Auckland from 1959 to 1965 and 1968–1980.

Europe with Russia/USSR

Albania

Ben Blushi Ben Blushi (born 1 January 1969) is an Albanian politician, writer and journalist. Biography Ben Blushi, born in Tirana, studied at the University of Tirana, graduating in Albanian language and literature. He was editor-in-chief of the newspaper ...

(1969–): Politician, former minister, writer and journalist. *

Dritëro Agolli Dritëro Agolli (13 October 1931 – 3 February 2017) was an Albanian poet, writer and politician. He studied in Leningrad in the Soviet Union, and wrote primarily poetry, but also short stories, essays, plays, and novels. He was head of the L ...

(1931–2017): Poet, writer and politician. * Diana Çuli (1951–): Writer, journalist and politician. * Gilman Bakalli (1967–2016): Professor, politician, pundit, and writer. *

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanians, Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was Secretary (title)#First secretary, First Secretary of t ...

(1908–1985): Communist ruler who declared Albania the first

, and who has been identified as an "arch-atheist." * Hysen Hoxha (1861–1934) Politician, mayor of

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea ...

, part of the Gjirokastra delegation for the

Assembly of Vlorë The Assembly of Vlorë ( sq, Kuvendi i Vlorës) was an Albanian assembly constituted during the All-Albanian Congress in Vlorë, on November 28, 1912. Background The All-Albanian Congress or ''Albanian National Congress'' or ''Albanian Ind ...

Belgium

Elio Di Rupo Elio Di Rupo (; born 18 July 1951) is a Belgian politician who has served as the minister-president of Wallonia since 2019. He is affiliated with the Socialist Party. Di Rupo previously served as the prime minister of Belgium from 6 December 201 ...

(1951–):

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

politician,

social democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

Belgian prime minister between 2011 and 2014, describes himself as an atheist, rationalist and Freemason. * Fientje Moerman (1958–): liberal politician and currently judge on the

Constitutional Court of Belgium The Constitutional Court (Dutch: , french: Cour constitutionelle, german: Verfassungsgerichtshof) plays a central role within the federal Belgian state. This is a judicial court founded in 1980. Its jurisdiction was augmented in 1988 and 2003. H ...

. * Karel De Gucht (1954–): European Commissioner between 2009 and 2014. *

Dirk Verhofstadt Dirk Verhofstadt (born 25 August 1955 in Dendermonde) is a Belgian social liberal ( Rawlsian) theorist and younger brother of former Belgian Prime Minister and former ALDE European Parliament Leader Guy Verhofstadt. He has a keen interest in ...

(1955-): Belgian social liberal theorist. * Siegfried Bracke (1953–): President of the Chamber of Representatives between 2014 and 2019.

Denmark

* Edvard Brandes (1847–1931): Politician, critic and author, Minister of Finance 1909–1910 and 1913–1920. * Thorvald Stauning (1873–1943): Prime minister 1924–1926 and 1929–1942. * Vilhelm Buhl (1881–1954): Prime minister May–November 1942 and May–November 1945. * Hans Hedtoft (1903–1955): Prime minister 1947–1950 and 1953–55. *

H. C. Hansen Hans Christian Svane Hansen (8 November 1906 – 19 February 1960), often known as H. C. Hansen or simply H. C., was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1955 until his death in 1960. A Social Democrat, Hansen served ...

(1906–1960): Prime minister 1955–1960. *

Jens Otto Krag Jens Otto Krag (; 15 September 1914 – 22 June 1978) was a Danish politician who served as prime minister of Denmark from 1962 to 1968 and from 1971 to 1972, and as leader of the Social Democrats from 1962 to 1972. He was president of the Nordi ...

(1914–1978): Prime minister 1962–1968 and 1971–1972.

Finland

Erkki Tuomioja Erkki Sakari Tuomioja (born 1 July 1946) is a Finnish politician and a member of the Finnish Parliament. From 2000 to 2007 and 2011 to 2015, he served as the minister for foreign affairs. He was president of the Nordic Council in 2008. Tuomio ...

(1946–): politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs 2011–2015 *

Rosa Meriläinen Rosa Anneli Meriläinen (born 31 December 1975) is Finnish former politician from Tampere. Meriläinen has a master's degree in political science from the University of Tampere. She was elected to the parliament of Finland in 2003. She represents ...

(1975–): politician and author *

Jussi Halla-aho Jussi Kristian Halla-aho (born 27 April 1971) is a Finnish politician who has served as a member of the Parliament of Finland from 2011 to 2014 and again since 2019, and as the leader of the Finns Party from 10 June 2017Finns Party The Finns Party, formerly known as the True Finns ( fi, Perussuomalaiset, PS, sv, Sannfinländarna, Sannf.), is a right-wing populist political party in Finland. It was founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The ...

and

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP)

France

Jeannette Bougrab Jeannette Bougrab (born 26 August 1973) is a French lawyer and politician of the UMP who served as the junior minister for Youth and Community Life in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon from 2010 to 2012.'Bougrab incarnera la diver ...

(1973–): Lawyer and politician. *

Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...

(1841–1929): Statesman, physician and journalist, prime minister of France 1906–1909 and 1917–1920. Led France during World War I and was one of the major proponents of the Treaty of Versailles. *

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, and even ...

(1908-1986): French writer, philosopher, political activist, feminist, socialist, and social theorist.Thurman, Judith
Introduction to Simone de Beauvoir’s ''The Second Sex''
/ref> *

Pierre Joseph Proudhon Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (, , ; 15 January 1809, Besançon – 19 January 1865, Paris) was a French socialist,Landauer, Carl; Landauer, Hilde Stein; Valkenier, Elizabeth Kridl (1979) 959 "The Three Anticapitalistic Movements". ''European Socia ...

(1809–1865): Politician, mutualist philosopher and socialist. He was a member of the French Parliament, and he was the first person to call himself an "anarchist". *

Gilbert Romme Charles-Gilbert Romme (26 March 1750 – 17 June 1795) was a French politician and mathematician who developed the French Republican Calendar. Biography Charles Gilbert Romme was born in Riom, Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne region of France, where ...

(1750–1795): Politician and mathematician who developed the French Republican Calendar. *

Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles (, 20 September 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French judge, freemason and politician who took part in the French Revolution. Origins and early career Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles was born in Paris into ...

(1759–1794): 4th and 24th President of the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year Nation ...

. First known atheist head of state ever. *

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of the Socialist P ...

(1954–): President of France. (In December 2011, Hollande told the French Christian magazine ''La Vie'' that he respects all religious practices but has none of his own: "En décembre dernier, François Hollande confiait à La Vie : 'Je n'ai aucune pratique religieuse. Mais je respecte toutes les confessions. La mienne est de ne pas en avoir.'") *

Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...

(1862–1932): French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...

. * Anne Hidalgo (1959–): Spanish-French politician who has been serving as Mayor of Paris since 2014. *

Clémence Royer Clémence Royer (21 April 1830 – 6 February 1902) was a self-taught French scholar who lectured and wrote on economics, philosophy, science and feminism. She is best known for her controversial 1862 French translation of Charles Darwin's ' ...

(1830–1920): French scholar who lectured and wrote on economics, philosophy, science, and feminism.

Germany

* Sabine Jünger (1973–): German politician for

The Left Party.PDS The Party of Democratic Socialism (german: Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus, PDS) was a democratic socialist political party in Germany active between 1989 and 2007. It was the legal successor to the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), wh ...

. *

Willibald Hentschel Willibald Hentschel (7 November 1858 in Łódź – 2 February 1947 in Berg, Upper Bavaria) was a German agrarian and volkisch writer and political activist. He sought to renew the Aryan race through a variety of schemes, including selective breed ...

(1858–1947): German agrarian and volkisch writer and political activist. *

Martin Bormann Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery. He gained immense power by using his position as Adolf Hitler's private secretary to control the flow of information ...

(1900–1945): Nazi official and right-hand man of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

."Within the NSDAP (as in the German ''völkisch'' movement in general) there existed from the outset a group of old Hitler partisans who in contrast to the 'atheists' Alfred Rosenberg, Martin Bormann and others, believed in a union of National Socialism and Protestant Christianity." Martin Broszat, ''The Hitler State'', p. 223 *

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels"
'' Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

(1893–1946): Nazi official. *

Erich Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the posts ...

(1912–1994): Communist politician and leader of

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

. *

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

(1818–1883): 19th-century philosopher, political economist, sociologist, political theorist, often called the father of Communism. *

Friedrich Ebert Friedrich Ebert (; 4 February 187128 February 1925) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the first president of Germany from 1919 until his death in office in 1925. Ebert was elected leader of the SPD on t ...

(1871–1925): German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the first

president of Germany The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...

from 1919 until his death in office in 1925. *

Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Ernst Rosenberg ( – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi theorist and ideologue. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart and he held several important posts in the Nazi government. He was the head o ...

(1893–1946): Nazi official and leader of

NSDAP Office of Foreign Affairs The NSDAP Office of Foreign Affairs (german: Außenpolitisches Amt der NSDAP, ''A.P.A.'' or ''APA'') was a Nazi Party organization. It was set up in April 1933 in the Hotel Adlon in Berlin immediately after the Nazi ''Machtergreifung'' ("Seizu ...

. * Ali Al-Dailami (1981–): A German-Yemeni politician from DIE LINKE. *

Kurt Schumacher Curt Ernst Carl Schumacher, better known as Kurt Schumacher (13 October 1895 – 20 August 1952), was a German politician who became chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany from 1946 and the first Leader of the Opposition in the Wes ...

(1895–1952): Social democratic politician who served as chairman of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been ...

from 1946 and was the first

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in the West German

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Comm ...

from 1949 until his death. *

Carl Vogt August Christoph Carl Vogt (; 5 July 18175 May 1895) was a German scientist, philosopher, popularizer of science, and politician who emigrated to Switzerland. Vogt published a number of notable works on zoology, geology and physiology. All h ...

(1817–1895): German scientist, philosopher, popularizer of science, and politician who emigrated to Switzerland. *

Julius Streicher Julius Streicher (12 February 1885 – 16 October 1946) was a member of the Nazi Party, the '' Gauleiter'' (regional leader) of Franconia and a member of the '' Reichstag'', the national legislature. He was the founder and publisher of the vir ...

(1885–1946): Nazi official. *

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born ) is a German politician who has served as the chancellor of Germany since 8 December 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice Chancellor under Angela Merkel and as Federal Minister ...

(1958–): German politician from the Social Democratic Party that is currently serving as

chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

. *

Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later (after spending the years of Nazi rule in ...

(1893–1973): Communist politician and leader of

. * Sahra Wagenknecht (1969–):

Left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

politician (

Die Linke The Left (german: Die Linke; stylised as and in its logo as ), commonly referred to as the Left Party (german: Die Linkspartei, links=no ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of th ...

) *

Johann Most Johann Joseph "Hans" Most (February 5, 1846 – March 17, 1906) was a German-American Social Democratic and then anarchist politician, newspaper editor, and orator. He is credited with popularizing the concept of "propaganda of the deed". His g ...

(1846–1906):

German-American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

Social Democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

and then

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...

politician, newspaper editor, and orator.

Greece

Alexis Tsipras Alexis Tsipras ( el, Αλέξης Τσίπρας, ; born 28 July 1974) is a Greek politician serving as Leader of the Official Opposition since 2019. He served as Prime Minister of Greece from 2015 to 2019. Tsipras has led the Coalition of th ...

(1974–): Leader of

Syriza The Coalition of the Radical Left – Progressive Alliance ( el, Συνασπισμός Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς – Προοδευτική Συμμαχία, Synaspismós Rizospastikís Aristerás – Proodeftikí Simachía), ...

and

Prime Minister of Greece The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρωθυπουργός της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Prothypourgós tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece ( el, Πρωθυ� ...

from 26 January 2015 to 8 July 2019. *

Yanis Varoufakis Ioannis "Yanis" Varoufakis ( el, Ιωάννης Γεωργίου "Γιάνης" Βαρουφάκης, Ioánnis Georgíou "Giánis" Varoufákis, ; born 24 March 1961) is a Greek economist and politician. A former academic, he served as the Gree ...

(1961–):

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

from 27 January 2015 to 6 July 2015.

Ireland

* Clare Daly (1968–):

United Left Alliance The United Left Alliance ( ga, Comhaontas Aontaithe an Chlé, ULA) was an electoral alliance of left-wing political parties and independent politicians in the Republic of Ireland, formed to contest the 2011 general election. The grouping origin ...

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parl ...

* Jim Kemmy (1936–1997): Socialist politician. *

Ivana Bacik Ivana Catherine Bacik (born 25 May 1968) is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Leader of the Labour Party since 24 March 2022 and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency since winning a by-election on 9 July 2 ...

(1968–):

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and Deputy Leader of the Seanad *

Proinsias De Rossa Proinsias De Rossa (born 15 May 1940) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Social Welfare from 1994 to 1997, Leader of Democratic Left from 1992 to 1999 and Leader of the Workers' Party from 1988 to 1992. He s ...

(1940–): Politician, former President of the Workers' Party, leader of Democratic Left, and later a senior member of the Labour Party. * Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington (1877–1946):

Suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

and nationalist. *

Owen Sheehy-Skeffington Owen Lancelot Sheehy-Skeffington (19 May 1909 – 7 June 1970) was an Irish university lecturer and senator. The son of pacifists, feminists and socialists Francis and Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington, he was politically likeminded and as a member of t ...

(1909–1970): University lecturer and Senator. * William Thompson (1775–1833): Socialist and economist. * Joe Higgins (1949–): Socialist Party politician. In the 2011 general election he was elected to Dáil Éireann as Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency, having previously served in that capacity from 1997 to 2007. He was also a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 2009 to 2011, the first Socialist Party MEP.

Italy

Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; born 29 June 1925) is an Italian politician who served as president of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first Italian president to be re-elected to the presidency. Due to his dominant position in Italian politics, some critics ...

(1925–): politician, 11th president of Italy. *

Sandro Pertini Alessandro "Sandro" Pertini (; 25 September 1896 – 24 February 1990) was an Italian socialist politician who served as the president of Italy from 1978 to 1985. Early life Born in Stella (Province of Savona) as the son of a wealthy landown ...

(1896–1990): politician, 7th president of Italy. *

Giuseppe Saragat Giuseppe Saragat (; 19 September 1898 – 11 June 1988) was an Italian politician who served as the president of Italy from 1964 to 1971. Early life Born to Sardinian parents, he was a member of the Unitary Socialist Party (''Partito Sociali ...

(1898–1988): politician, 5th president of Italy. *

Massimo D'Alema Massimo D'Alema (; born 20 April 1949) is an Italian politician and journalist who was the 53rd prime minister of Italy from 1998 to 2000. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008. D'Alema also serv ...

(1949–): politician, 53rd prime minister 1998–2000, minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in the

Prodi II Cabinet The second Prodi government was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008, a total of 722 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 21 days. The 59th cabinet of the Italian Republic, it was the only cabinet of the XV Legislature ...

2006–2008. * Giuliano Ferrara (1952–): politician, journalist, and occasional talk show host. *

Nilde Iotti Leonilde Iotti, commonly known as Nilde Iotti (; 10 April 1920 – 4 December 1999) was an Italian politician, member of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). She was the first and only woman member of the PCI to become the president of the Chamber ...

(1920–1999): politician, the first woman to become president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies for three consecutive legislatures 1979–1992. *

Pietro Nenni Pietro Sandro Nenni (; 9 February 1891 – 1 January 1980) was an Italian socialist politician, the national secretary of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) and senator for life since 1970. He was a recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize in 1951. He ...

(1891–1980): politician, the leader of

Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 189 ...

1931–1945 and 1949–1963, deputy prime minister ( Moro I, II and III cabinet), minister of foreign affairs (

De Gasperi II cabinet The De Gasperi II Cabinet was the first cabinet of the Italian Republic. It was established by Alcide De Gasperi following the referendum of 2 June 1946, in which the Italian people voted in favour of the Republic. It held office from 13 July 19 ...

Rumor I cabinet The Rumor I Cabinet was the 23rd cabinet of the Italian Republic. The government fell in July 1969 following the splitting of the Unitary Socialist Party from the PSI. Party breakdown * Christian Democracy (DC): prime minister, 16 minister ...

) *

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...

(1883–1945): fascist dictator of Italy. *

Palmiro Togliatti Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti (; 26 March 1893 – 21 August 1964) was an Italian politician and leader of the Italian Communist Party from 1927 until his death. He was nicknamed ("The Best") by his supporters. In 1930 he became a citizen of ...

(1893–1964): politician, the leader of

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) ...

from 1927 to his death in 1964. *

Emma Bonino Emma Bonino (born 9 March 1948) is an Italian politician. A senator for Rome, she served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2014. Previously, she was a Member of the European Parliament and a member of the Chamber of Deputies. She serve ...

(1948–): politician, European Commissioner 1995–1999, minister of foreign trade and European affairs 2006–2008, Deputy Speaker of Italian Senate 2008–2013 and Minister of Foreign Affairs 2013–2014.

The Netherlands

Jetta Klijnsma Jellejetta "Jetta" Klijnsma (; born 18 March 1957) is a Dutch politician serving as the King's Commissioner of Drenthe since 2017. She is a member of the Labour Party (PvdA). Elected to the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2012, she focu ...

(1957–): Dutch politician from the Labour Party serving as the King's Commissioner of

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nove ...

since 2017. * Clara Wichmann (1885–1922): German–Dutch lawyer, writer, anarcho-syndicalist, feminist, and atheist. *

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali (; ; Somali: ''Ayaan Xirsi Cali'':'' Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī;'' born Ayaan Hirsi Magan, ar, أيان حرسي علي / ALA-LC: ''Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī'' 13 November 1969) is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist and former politicia ...

(1969–): Somali-Dutch feminist and

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

activist, writer and politician who is known for her views

critical Critical or Critically may refer to: *Critical, or critical but stable, medical states **Critical, or intensive care medicine * Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences. *Critical Software, a company specializing ...

of Islam, practices of

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Top ...

and

female genital cutting Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

. * Renske Leijten (1979–): Politician of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...

and a member of the House of Representatives since 2006.Perdefinitie.nl biography
/ref> * Thierry Baudet (1983–): Dutch politician, academic, author, founder, and leader of

Forum for Democracy Forum for Democracy ( nl, Forum voor Democratie, FvD) is a right-wing populist Eurosceptic political party in the Netherlands that was founded as a think tank by Thierry Baudet and Henk Otten in 2016. The party first participated in elections ...

(FvD), and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2017. *

Ronald Plasterk Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk (; born 12 April 1957) is a Dutch scientist, entrepreneur and retired politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He has earned a PhD degree in biology, specialised in molecular genetics. Being a former Minister of the Du ...

(1957–): Politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and former molecular geneticist. He is Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Cabinet Rutte II and was previously Minister of Education, Culture and Science from February 22, 2007, until February 23, 2010, in the Cabinet Balkenende IV. *

Lousewies van der Laan Louse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe "Lousewies" van der Laan (born 18 February 1966) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. Life before politics In her youth, Van der Laan lived in Belgium, Germany, and the Un ...

(1966–): Retired Dutch politician of the

Democrats 66 Democrats 66 (; abbreviated D66, ) is a social liberal political party in the Netherlands, which positions itself in the centre of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Liberals and Demo ...

(D66) party and jurist. *

Stephan van Baarle Stephan Ruben Tobias van Baarle (born 25 August 1991) is a Dutch politician, serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2021. A member of the minority interest party DENK, he also served on the Rotterdam municipal council from 20 ...

(1991–): Politician of the

DENK Denk may refer to: People *Jeremy Denk (born 1970), American classical pianist * Michael K. Denk, Canadian professor of chemistry * Paula Denk (1908–1978), German actress * Ralph Denk (born 1973), German cyclist and cycling manager * Ulrike Denk ...

party, serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2021 and has been serving on the

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...

municipal council since 2018. *

Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...

(1963–): Dutch businessman and politician that has been the Leader of the

Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( nl, Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) is a nationalist, right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man faction in the House of Representatives, it won nin ...

(Partij voor de Vrijheid – PVV) since he founded it in 2006.

Poland

Władysław Gomułka Władysław Gomułka (; 6 February 1905 – 1 September 1982) was a Polish communist politician. He was the ''de facto'' leader of post-war Poland from 1947 until 1948. Following the Polish October he became leader again from 1956 to 1970. G ...

(1905–1982): Communist leader. *

Aleksander Kwaśniewski Aleksander Kwaśniewski (; born 15 November 1954) is a Polish politician and journalist. He served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule, he was active in the Socialist Union of Pol ...

(1954–): former

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...

(1995–2005). *

Zbigniew Religa Zbigniew Eugeniusz Religa (; 16 December 1938 – 8 March 2009) was a prominent Polish cardiac surgeon and politician. Career as doctor Religa finished his studies at the Medical University of Warsaw in 1963. From 1966 to 1980 he worked in ...

(1938–2009): prominent

cardiac surgeon Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to corr ...

, pioneer in human heart transplantation and a

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

of the

Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. *

Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz (, born 13 September 1950) is a Polish left-wing politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland for a year from 7 February 1996 to 31 October 1997, after being defeated in the Parliamentary elections by the Solidari ...

(1950–): former

Prime Minister of Poland The President of the Council of Ministers ( pl, Prezes Rady Ministrów, lit=Chairman of the Council of Ministers), colloquially referred to as the prime minister (), is the head of the cabinet and the head of government of Poland. The responsibi ...

(1996-1997) *

Gabriel Narutowicz Gabriel Józef Narutowicz (; 29 March 1865 – 16 December 1922) was a Polish professor of hydroelectric engineering and politician who served as the first President of Poland from 11 December 1922 until his assassination on 16 December, five d ...

(1865–1922): first

(1922). *

Robert Biedroń Robert Biedroń (; born 13 April 1976) is a Polish politician, former mayor of Słupsk, and LGBT activist who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. Biedroń was a member of the Sejm during its 7th session (2011� ...

(1975–): Mayor of

Słupsk Słupsk (; , ; formerly german: Stolp, ; also known by several alternative names) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specific ...

, member of parliament, LGBT rights activist. *

Bolesław Bierut Bolesław Bierut (; 18 April 1892 – 12 March 1956) was a Polish communist activist and politician, leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1947 until 1956. He was President of the State National Council from 1944 to 1947, President of Po ...

(1892–1956): Communist leader.

Portugal

Ana Gomes Ana Maria Rosa Martins Gomes (born 9 February 1954), better known as Ana Gomes, is a Portuguese former diplomat and politician of the Socialist Party (PS). She earned wide recognition for her role in negotiating independence for East Timor, a ...

(1954–): ambassador and former MEP and

presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

of the

. *

António Marinho e Pinto António de Sousa Marinho e Pinto (born 10 September 1950, in Vila Chã do Marão, Amarante) is a Portuguese lawyer and former journalist. He was president of the Portuguese Bar Association from 2008 to 2013 and is well known for his controvers ...

(1950–): former President of the Portuguese Bar Association and MEP for the

Earth Party The Earth Party ( pt, Partido da Terra, ), previously called The Earth Party Movement (, abbreviated MPT, hence called ''MPT – Partido da Terra''), is a green-conservative political party in Portugal, founded on 12 August 1993. Its main poli ...

, and founder of the Democratic Republican Party. *

Francisco Louçã Francisco Anacleto Louçã (; born 12 November 1956 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese economist and politician. Biography He is the second son of António Seixas Louçã, a Portuguese Navy Officer, and his wife Noémia da Rocha Neves Anacleto, lawyer, ...

(1956–): former Councillor of State, MP and leader of the Left Bloc. * Isabel Moreira (1976–): jurist and Socialist Party MP. * João Soares (1949–): former State Councillor, Minister of Culture and

Mayor of Lisbon This is a list of mayors of Lisbon ( pt, Presidente da Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, CML, literally: "President of the Municipal Chamber of Lisbon", and also pt, Presidente do Município de Lisboa, literally: "President of the Municipality of Lisb ...

of the Socialist Party. *

Jorge Sampaio Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. A member of the Socialist Party, a party which he led between 1989 a ...

(1939–2021): lawyer,

President of Portugal The president of Portugal, officially the president of the Portuguese Republic ( pt, Presidente da República Portuguesa, ), is the head of state and highest office of Portugal. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, an ...

(1996–2006) and Mayor of Lisbon of the Socialist Party. * Manuel Soares (1964–): judge and President of the Portuguese Judges' Union. * Miguel Portas (1958–2012): former Left Bloc MEP. *

Paula Teixeira da Cruz Paula Maria von Hafe Teixeira da Cruz (June 1, 1960 in Luanda, Portuguese Angola) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician. She served as Minister of Justice in the government led by Pedro Passos Coelho from 2011 to 2015. Early life She was born ...

(1960–): lawyer and former

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

. * Teófilo Braga (1843–1924): President of Portugal (1910–1911, 1915) of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

and the Democratic Party.

Romania

Mihai Ralea Mihai Dumitru Ralea (also known as Mihail Ralea, Michel Raléa, or Mihai Rale;Straje, p. 586 May 1, 1896 – August 17, 1964) was a Romanian social scientist, cultural journalist, and political figure. He debuted as an affiliate of Poporanism, th ...

(1896–1964): Social scientist, cultural journalist, and political figure that was affiliated with

Poporanism Poporanism is a Romanian version of nationalism and populism. The word is derived from ''popor'', meaning "people" in Romanian. Founded by Constantin Stere in the early 1890s, Poporanism is distinguished by its opposition to socialism, promotion ...

, the left-wing agrarian movement. *

Remus Cernea Remus Cernea (; born June 25, 1974) is a Romanian activist against discrimination based on faith and religion, an advocate of the separation of church and state and the founder of the ''Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience Association''. From 201 ...

(1974–): Activist against discrimination based on faith and religion, an advocate of the separation of church and state. * Paul Georgescu (1923–1989): Romanian literary critic, journalist, fiction writer and communist political figure. Radu Cosaşu
"Paulgeorgescianul 'Mda' "
in '' Dilema Veche'', Vol. II, Nr. 94, November 2005 *

Alexandru Drăghici Alexandru Drăghici (; September 27, 1913 – December 12, 1993) was a Romanian communist activist and politician. He was Interior Minister in 1952 and from 1957 to 1965, and State Security Minister from 1952 to 1957. In these capacities, he exerci ...

(1913–1993): Communist activist and politician. Adriana Oprea-Popescu
" 'Am adus cenușa lui Alexandru Drăghici în România, ascunsă sub bancheta mașinii' "
''Jurnalul Național'', 3 February 2004; accessed April 19, 2012

Russia/Soviet Union

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and 1 ...

(1906–1982): Soviet politician who was leader of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982. *

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Com ...

(1931-2022): Soviet politician who was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until his resignation in 1991. Although he was suspected to be 'closeted Christian', he always denied that and kept reaffirming his atheism. *

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to ...

(1870–1924): Marxist revolutionary and leader of the Bolsheviks. Lenin considered atheism and anti-religious propaganda to be essential to promoting communism. *

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...

(1894–1971):

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, 1953–1964. *

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...

(1878–1953): General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953. *

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...

(1879–1940): Marxist theorist and Soviet politician. *

Yemelyan Yaroslavsky Yemelyan Mikhailovich Yaroslavsky (russian: Емелья́н Миха́йлович Яросла́вский, born Minei Izrailevich Gubelman, Мине́й Изра́илевич Губельма́н; – 4 December 1943) was a Bolshevik revoluti ...

(1878–1943): Bolshevik revolutionary and founder of the

League of Militant Atheists The League of Militant Atheists (), also Society of the Godless () or Union of the Godless (), was an atheistic and antireligious organization of workers and intelligentsia that developed in Soviet Russia under influence of the ideological and ...

Spain

Non-religious politicians are very common in Spain, particularly in

PSOE The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...

, Unidas Podemos, and the former Republican Left. * Santiago Casares Quiroga (1884–1950): Politician,

Prime Minister of Spain The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of 1978 and it was first regul ...

from May 13 to July 19, 1936. *

Pedro Sánchez Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (; born 29 February 1972) is a Spanish politician who has been Prime Minister of Spain since June 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since June 2017, having p ...

(1972–): Politician,

since June 1, 2018. *

Manuel Azaña Manuel Azaña Díaz (; 10 January 1880 – 3 November 1940) was a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933 and 1936), organizer of the Popular Front in 1935 and the last President of the Re ...

(1880–1940):

, 1931–1936. * Pablo Iglesias (1978–): an atheist who served as

Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain The second deputy prime minister of Spain, officially Second Vice President of the Government of Spain ( es, Vicepresidencia Segunda del Gobierno de España), is a senior member of the Government of Spain. The office of the Second Deputy Prime Mi ...

2020–2021, and as Secretary-General (leader) of Podemos since 2014.

Sweden

Olof Palme Sven Olof Joachim Palme (; ; 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986. Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until ...

(1927–1986): politician, two-term

Prime Minister of Sweden The prime minister ( sv, statsminister ; literally translating to "Minister of State") is the head of government of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are su ...

, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet government from 1982 until his death. *

Bengt Westerberg Bengt Carl Gustaf Westerberg (born 23 August 1943) is a Swedish politician. He was leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1983 to 1995, member of the Riksdag from 1984 to 1994 and Minister for Social Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister 1991 t ...

(1943–): Leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1983 to 1995. Minister for Social Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994. Currently holds office as the

Deputy President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

of the

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 192-member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disas ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

, Switzerland. * Hanif Bali (1987–): politician of the

Moderate Party The Moderate Party ( sv, Moderata samlingspartiet , ; M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic ...

and member of the

Swedish Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

Turkey

Abdullah Cevdet Abdullah Cevdet ( ota, عبدالله جودت‎; tr, Abdullah Cevdet Karlıdağ; 9 September 1869 – 29 November 1932) was a Kurdish intellectual and physician in the Ottoman Empire. He was one of the founders of the Committee of Union an ...

(1869–1932), Turkish intellectual and physician of ethnic Kurdish descent, who was a politician of the

Committee of Union and Progress The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى جمعيتی, translit=İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti, script=Arab), later the Union and Progress Party ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى فرقه‌سی, translit=İttihad ve Tera ...

between 1889 and 1908 and then the Ottoman Democratic Party between 1908 and 1911. * Behice Boran (1910–1987), Turkish Marxism, Marxist politician, author, and Sociology, sociologist, who was elected deputy of the Workers' Party of Turkey between 1965 and 1969. * Bedri Baykam (1957–), Turkish artist and elected member of the Party Assembly of the Social democracy, social-democratic Republican People's Party between 1995 and 1998.

United Kingdom

Being non-religious has traditionally not been a barrier to success in British politics, as evidenced by at least four Prime Ministers, one Deputy Prime Minister, one First Minister of Wales, and several Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), leaders of the Opposition being atheists since the 20th century. Non-religious views are common among British MPs and Lords, many of whom are members of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, as well as members of Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, and London legislatures. * Clement Attlee (1883–1967): British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. * William Crawford Anderson (1877–1919): British socialist politician, a founder member of the Union of Democratic Control. * James Arbuthnot (1952–): Conservative MP 1987-2015 and peer since 2015. * Edward Aveling (1849–1898): English

activist and partner of

's daughter Eleanor Marx, Eleanor. * Bessie Braddock justice of the peace, JP (1899–1970): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician, vice-chairman of the party in 1968. * Charles Bradlaugh (1833–1891): Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician and one of the most famous English atheists of the 19th century. * Alastair Campbell (1957–): Public relations, Director of Communications and Strategy for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2003. * James Cleverly (1969–): Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP for Braintree (UK Parliament constituency), Braintree from 2015 to present. * Michael Cashman (1950–): British actor turned Labour Party (UK), Labour politician, a former Member of the European Parliament (1999–2014). * Colin Challen (1953–): British The Labour Party (UK), Labour politician, Member of Parliament (2001–2010). * Charles Clarke (1950–): British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament since 1997 and former Secretary of State for the Home Department, Home Secretary. * Nick Clegg (1967–): former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Lord President of the Council (with special responsibility for political and constitutional reform), and the British Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrat Leader from 2007 to 2015. * Robin Cook (1946–2005): Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs of the UK (1997–2001), whose funeral service was held in the High Kirk of Scotland, where he was described as a "Presbyterian atheist. " * Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai (1940–): British economist, writer and Labour Party (UK), Labour politician. * Donald Dewar (1937–2000): British Politician and Scottish first minister, from May 1999 until his sudden death in October 2000 * Frank Dobson (1940–2019): British the Labour Party (UK), Labour politician and member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras (UK Parliament constituency), Holborn and St. Pancras. * Jack Dormand (1919–2003): British educationist and Labour Party (UK), Labour politician. * H. A. L. Fisher, Herbert Fisher Order of Merit, OM (1865–1940): English historian, educator, and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. * Donald Findlay Queen's Counsel, QC (1951–): Senior Scottish advocate and Queen's Counsel. * Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather (1934–): British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative peerage, peer in the House of Lords, the first Asian woman to receive a peerage. * Michael Foot (1913–2010): British politician and writer, leader of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party 1980–1983. * George Taubman Goldie, Sir George Taubman Goldie (1846–1925): Isle of Man, Manx administrator who, as founder of the Royal Niger Company, played a major role in the founding of Nigeria. * Evan Harris (1965–): British Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrat politician and former Member of Parliament#United Kingdom, MP. * Roy Hattersley Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1932–): British Labour Party politician, author and journalist, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party 1983–1992. * Douglas Houghton, Baron Houghton of Sowerby, Douglas Houghton Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (1898–1996): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician. * Robert Hughes, Baron Hughes of Woodside, Robert Hughes, Baron Hughes of Woodside (1932–2022): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician. * Thomas A. Jackson, Tommy Jackson (1879–1955): English founder of the Socialist Party of Great Britain and later the Communist Party of Great Britain. * Joel Joffe, Baron Joffe Order of the British Empire, CBE (1932–2017): South Africa-born British Labour Party (UK), Labour peerage, peer in the House of Lords. * Oona King, Baroness King of Bow (1967–): Labour Party (UK), Labour Peerages in the United Kingdom, peer in the House of Lords, former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow (1997–2005). * Neil Kinnock Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1942–): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician, Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party leader 1983–1992. * Ken Livingstone (1945–): Mayor of London 2000–08. * Gus Macdonald, Baron Macdonald of Tradeston Order of the British Empire, CBE, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1940–): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician. * Ramsay Macdonald (1866–1937): Scottish politician who became the first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Although devoutly religious in his childhood and as an early adult, he became a very involved member of the Union of Ethical Societies (an early humanist organisation, now known as Humanists UK) later on. * John Maxton, Baron Maxton (1936–): Scottish politician, MP and now member of the House of Lords. * David Miliband (1965–): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010. * Ed Miliband (1969–): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician, Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2010 to 2015. * Rhodri Morgan (1939–2017), former First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour (2000-2009). * Julie Morgan (1941–): Welsh Assembly Member for Cardiff North (Assembly constituency), Cardiff North and former MP for Cardiff North. * John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn Order of Merit, OM, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1838–1923): British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician, statesman, writer and newspaper editor. * Mo Mowlam (1949–2005): Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. * Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy, Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy (1949–2005): British politician and a member of the House of Lords, and a doctor and academic, formerly Professor of Psychiatry of Old Age at Guy's Hospital. * Marion Phillips (1881–1932): Australia-born Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and British Member of Parliament. * Phil Piratin (1907–1995): British member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and one of their few Members of Parliament. * Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel (1870–1963): Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party Leader 1931–1935. * Phil Sawford (1950–): British politician and former Member of Parliament for Kettering (UK Parliament constituency), Kettering. * Brian Sedgemore (1937–2015): former left-wing British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. * Clare Short (1946–): British politician, former Labour Party (UK), Labour Secretary of State for International Development. * Dennis Skinner (1932–): British politician, who was the Labour Party (UK), Labour Member of Parliament for Bolsover from 1970 until he lost his seat in 2019. * Keir Starmer (1962–): Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2020. * Guy Aldred (1886–1963): English anarchist communist and a prominent member of the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation. * Peter Tatchell (1952–), Australian-born British human rights activist * Phillip Whitehead (1937–2005): British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician, television producer and writer.

Other in Europe

* Gaudenz Canova (1887–1962): Swiss lawyer and Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, Social Democratic member of the National Council of Switzerland from Graubünden (Grisons). * Dimitris Christofias (1946–2019): Greek Cypriot politician, President of Cyprus 2008–2013. * Vaso Čubrilović (1897–1990): Bosnian student, a conspirator in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. * Theodor Herzl (1860–1904): Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and founder of modern political Zionism. * Zoran Janković (economist), Zoran Janković (1953–): Slovenian businessman, former mayor of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and a deputy. * Alexander Lukashenko (1954–): President of Belarus, describes himself as "an Orthodox atheist." * Slobodan Milošević (1941–2006): Serbian politician, former President of Serbia and of President of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia. * Ivica Račan (1944–2007): Prime Minister of Croatia (2000–2003), former Croatian leftist politician who led the Social Democratic Party of Croatia between 1989 up to 2007. He was also the last leader and democratic transformer of the League of Communists of Croatia. * Hedi Stadlen (1916–2004): Austrian Jewish political activist, philosopher and musicologist. * Veton Surroi (1961–): Kosovo Albanian publicist and politician. *

(1946–): Finnish politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs (Finland), Minister for Foreign Affairs 2000–2007 and 2011–2015. * Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980) 1st President of Yugoslavia * Zoran Milanović (1966–): Prime Minister of Croatia (2011-2016) and 5th President of Croatia (2020-) * Miloš Zeman (1944–): President of the Czech Republic

North America

Canada

* Armin Navabi (1983–): Iranian Canadian ex-Muslim atheist activist, author and podcaster, currently living in Vancouver, Canada. * Gilles Duceppe (1947–): Politician, Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), Leader of the Opposition twice from 1996 to 1997 and Leader of the Bloc Québécois from 1997 to 2011. * David Lewis (Canadian politician), David Lewis (1909–1981): Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. * Dale Jackaman (Canadian politician), Dale Jackaman (1956–): Politician. * Sarah Polley (1979–): Canadian actress, writer, director, producer and political activist. * Pauline Marois (1949–): Premier of Quebec from 2012 to 2014, leader of Parti Québécois from 2007 to 2014. * Françoise David (1948–): Spokesperson and MNA for Quebec Solidaire. * Justin Trottier (1982–): Political activist, former political candidate and founder of Canada's largest social-political movements for secularism and men's issues. * Norman Bethune (1890–1939): Canadian thoracic surgeon and member of the Communist Party of Canada. * Nathan Phelps (1958–): American-born Canadian author, LGBT rights activist, and public speaker on the topics of religion and child abuse. * Yasmine Mohammed, University instructor, human rights activist and author who is critical of Islam.

Costa Rica

* Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno (1859–1945), three times President of Costa Rica. * José Figueres Ferrer (1906–1990), three times President of Costa Rica. * José Merino del Río, José Merino (1949–2012), left-wing activist and deputy. * José María Villalta (1977–), deputy and presidential candidate.

Cuba

* Fidel Castro (1926–2016): First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Prime Minister of Cuba, and President of Cuba, all from 1959 to 2011. * Raúl Castro (1931–): First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 2011 to 2021.

Mexico

* Carlos A. Madrazo (1915–1969): Politician. * Narciso Bassols (1897–1959): Politician. * Lázaro Cárdenas (1895–1970): 51st President of Mexico. * Venustiano Carranza (1859–1920): 44th President of Mexico. * Plutarco Elías Calles (1877–1945): 47th President of Mexico. * Tomás Garrido Canabal (1891–1943): Politician. * Benito Juarez (1806–1872): 26th President of Mexico. * Alvaro Obregon (1880–1928): 46th President of Mexico.

United States

* Rocky Anderson (1951–): 2012 Justice Party Presidential Candidate and former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah * Cecil Bothwell (1950–): Asheville, North Carolina city council member, who was nearly denied his position because of his atheism. * Lori Lipman Brown (1958–): politician, lobbyist, lawyer, educator, and social worker supporter, Nevada state senator from 1992 to 1994. * Douglas Campbell (Michigan politician), Douglas Campbell (1959–): atheist advocate and member of the Green Party of Michigan and of the Godless Americans Political Action Committee. Co-founder, Michigan Godless Americans Political Action Committee. Green Party candidate for Michigan gubernatorial election, 2006, governor of Michigan in both 2002 and 2006. * Ernie Chambers (1937–): Member of the Nebraska Legislature and Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska, civil rights activist. * Clarence Darrow (1857–1938): lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending John T. Scopes in the so-called Monkey Trial. * Sean Faircloth (1960–): attorney, served five terms in the Maine Legislature including appointments on the Judiciary and Appropriations Committees. * Barney Frank (1940–): U.S. Representative (1981–2013) (D-MA). * Thomas Gore (1870–1949): United States Senator (D-OK), from 1907 until 1921 and from 1931 until 1937. * Vincent Hallinan (1896–1992): lawyer who ran for president of the United States in 1952 under the Progressive Party (United States, 1948), Progressive Party, the third highest polling candidate in the election. * Jared Huffman (1964–): United States Congressman (D-CA) since 2013. He revealed in 2017 that he is a humanist and a non-believer. * Heather Mac Donald (1956–): writer and lawyer, member of the Manhattan Institute and author of ''The Burden of Bad Ideas: How Modern Intellectuals Misshape Our Society''. * Culbert Olson (1876–1962): politician and Governor of California from 1939 to 1943. * Pete Stark (1931–2020): U.S. Representative (1973–2013) (D-CA), the first openly atheist member of United States Congress, Congress. * Eddie Tabash: lawyer and atheist activist and debater. * Jesse Ventura (1951–): former Governor of Minnesota, veteran, wrestler, actor, and talk show host. * George Will (1941–): newspaper columnist and political commentator * Alan Wolfe (1951–): political science, Political scientist and sociologist, director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. * Andrew Zwicker (1964–): Member of the New Jersey General Assembly; scientist and educator, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. * Juan Mendez (politician), Juan Mendez (1985–): State Senator for Arizona.

South America

Argentina

* Carmen Argibay (1939–2014): Lawyer, member of the Argentine Supreme Court of Justice, the first woman to be nominated for the Court by a democratic government in Argentina. * Che Guevara (1928–1967): Marxist revolutionary.

Guyana

* Janet Jagan (1920–2009): American-born socialist politician, Prime Minister and then President of Guyana.

Paraguay

* José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (1766–1840): Dictator of Paraguay between 1814 and 1840.

Uruguay

* José Mujica (1935–): Politician and President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atheists In Politics And Law Lists of atheists, Politics and law