Vladimir Putin (Russia)

Vladimir Putin has long been a powerful force in Russian politics. He served as a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, prime minister from 1999 to 2000, president from 2000 to 2008, again prime minister from 2008 to 2012, and is now serving as president yet again. Despite receiving criticism on a lack of transparency and poor rankings in Freedom House’s index, as well as accusations of descending into an authoritarian government, Putin has long been receiving a high degree of internal legitimacy and widespread support, with his approval rating sitting at 81% in March of 2016 according to a Gallup poll. Putin has been accused of orchestrating hacks to smear Hillary Clinton and help secure a president that would potentially be less of an obstacle to his administration.