(CPOD) Jul. 5, 2004 - United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan is the most popular leader for residents of five European nations, according to a poll by Harris Interactive Europe. 52 per cent of respondents in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have a positive opinion of Annan.

In 1997, Annan began his first term as UN secretary-general, and was subsequently chosen to serve a second five-year period in January 2002. Annan has been involved with the UN since 1962, working for the World Health Organization in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and as under-secretary-general for peacekeeping.

Pope John Paul II, Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also had a positive rating, while respondents were evenly split about French president Jacques Chirac.

Less than a quarter of all respondents had a positive assessment of Russian president Vladimir Putin, British prime minister Tony Blair and Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and United States president George W. Bush were last on the list.

Polling Data

How negatively or positively do you feel about each of the following leaders?"

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.