Ethnic Minorities as Elected Heads of State

[Darth Wong]

BTW, not all ethnic minorities are distinguished by the colour of their skin. Canada has a french minority, from which several of our prime ministers were elected.

Then again, that would mean that the UK did it by electing David Loyd George, a Welshman.

Are Welsh considered sufficiently distinct for that? Has the UK ever elected any Irish PMs?

[Lusankya]

I can't help but wonder what kind of turmoil would result if America actually elected an openly homosexual president. How would the fundies react?

South Australia had a gay (or at least bisexual) Premier in the 60s and then in the 70s (homosexuality was still illegal when he was first elected). He didn't come out until after he was Premier, but from what my mum tells me, most people knew that already.

Strangely, the world didn't end during the 10 years of his Premiership.

[ray245]

I can't help but wonder what kind of turmoil would result if America actually elected an openly homosexual president. How would the fundies react?

South Australia had a gay (or at least bisexual) Premier in the 60s and then in the 70s (homosexuality was still illegal when he was first elected). He didn't come out until after he was Premier, but from what my mum tells me, most people knew that already.

Strangely, the world didn't end during the 10 years of his Premiership.

Correct me if I am wrong (again). I thought that the influence of religion in Austraila is weaker than its influence in the USA?

[Lusankya]

Correct me if I am wrong (again). I thought that the influence of religion in Austraila is weaker than its influence in the USA?

It is, especially in South Australia, but this was 30 years ago, and he was a member of a group of citizens whos sexual orientation was illegal at the time.

[B5B7]

The influence of religion in Australia is weaker (or more correctly its power is weaker than in USA, as still has big influence). Plus anti-homosexuality isn't just from the religious (& some of them are pro-gay).
Don Dunstan was a particularly charismatic and popular person, so this would have helped with acceptance of him.
In regards to the OP - technically, since his mother is white, Obama isn't really a minority - I know, I know, as far as perception goes he's black, and most American blacks are part-white, and the black aspect is more noticeable, hence classified as black.

[Lusankya]

Don Dunstan was a particularly charismatic and popular person, so this would have helped with acceptance of him.

Yeah, well you have to be charismatic if you want to go around wearing pink hot pants to parliament and get away with it.

[Broomstick]

The influence of religion in Australia is weaker (or more correctly its power is weaker than in USA, as still has big influence). Plus anti-homosexuality isn't just from the religious (& some of them are pro-gay).
Don Dunstan was a particularly charismatic and popular person, so this would have helped with acceptance of him.
In regards to the OP - technically, since his mother is white, Obama isn't really a minority - I know, I know, as far as perception goes he's black, and most American blacks are part-white, and the black aspect is more noticeable, hence classified as black.

Where do you get this "technically not a minority"? People with any identifiable African ancestry are a minority in the US, and that's not "technically". Both statistically and socially he's part of a minority.

[Masami von Weizegger]

BTW, not all ethnic minorities are distinguished by the colour of their skin. Canada has a french minority, from which several of our prime ministers were elected.

Then again, that would mean that the UK did it by electing David Loyd George, a Welshman.

Are Welsh considered sufficiently distinct for that? Has the UK ever elected any Irish PMs?

These Northern Irish politicians are usually members of Northern Irish-specific parties, in order to deal with issues there, so they are unlikely to ascend to the head of a major political party as needed. And, of course, most southern Irish politicians run for office in their own country.

However, in the past, there have been Irish Prime Ministers of Britain. William Petty-FitzMaurice (in office: 1782-83) was a Dubliner, for example. Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington (in office: 1828-30, 1834), was also born in Ireland, although his exact place of birth is disputed.

[Lonestar]

See above

Also, he was never actually open about it. Yeah, people called him "Aunt Fancy" but that doesn't mean nuthin!

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Yeah, but when they also call his "longtime good friend" and roommate "Uncle Dancy".....

[Hillary]

These Northern Irish politicians are usually members of Northern Irish-specific parties, in order to deal with issues there, so they are unlikely to ascend to the head of a major political party as needed. And, of course, most southern Irish politicians run for office in their own country.

However, in the past, there have been Irish Prime Ministers of Britain. William Petty-FitzMaurice (in office: 1782-83) was a Dubliner, for example. Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington (in office: 1828-30, 1834), was also born in Ireland, although his exact place of birth is disputed.

And let's not forget our current Scottish Prime minister (easy to do, I know).

[Colonel Olrik]

The Prime Minister of Portugal is a divorced atheist.

[Bellator]

Holland almost elected a flaming homosexual a few years back, before he was shot.

[Plekhanov]

So far as any ethic groups exist, Gordon Brown is Scottish, Lloyd George was Welsh and Disraeli was jewish.

[B5B7]

The influence of religion in Australia is weaker (or more correctly its power is weaker than in USA, as still has big influence). Plus anti-homosexuality isn't just from the religious (& some of them are pro-gay).
Don Dunstan was a particularly charismatic and popular person, so this would have helped with acceptance of him.
In regards to the OP - technically, since his mother is white, Obama isn't really a minority - I know, I know, as far as perception goes he's black, and most American blacks are part-white, and the black aspect is more noticeable, hence classified as black.

Where do you get this "technically not a minority"? People with any identifiable African ancestry are a minority in the US, and that's not "technically". Both statistically and socially he's part of a minority.

He is also part of the majority - as half-white; however, due to the current non-ideal social perception, he and other half-white people (a significant quantity) aren't recogized as white. This of course isn't purely because of racism; there is a kind of logic to identifying someone by their more noticeable aspect.
As for Obama being socially part of a minority - I suppose being POTUS is a minority. Considering his intellectual, educational and professional capacities, he is part of the social elite (even prior to gaining the Presidency, and even if he wasn't a Senator).
ALL of us are part of minorities of some type. Blacks, atheists, gays, racists (hopefully), guitar players, etc - all minorities.
"Technically" might not have been the perfect word to use, but no offense intended.

[Shogoki]

Benito Juarez from Mexico was a pure Zapotec, one of the many small ethnic groups in the Mexican southern states, with only a few tens of thousands members at the time.
Even when all of them are taken into account as one, natives made up about 30% or so of the general population by the time he was elected, so i guess that qualifies as a minority.
He was also the one that separated church and state in Mexico so he was quite the liberal in a very conservative country.

[TimothyC]

While not a head of state, a Sihk, Manmohan Singh, is the PM of India, and thus a head of government.

[Adrian Laguna]

Any white President of any Latin American nation.

Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Brazil have white majorities. Venezuela technically has a mixed majority, but the local definition of "white" is "meh, close enough", so most people consider themselves white even if they are only partly. That Italian guy we elected President (both his parents were immigrants) back in the 70s might qualify as a minority.

[RedImperator]

I don't think the question really is, "any ethnic minority" so much as "reviled ethnic minority". Disraeli might count; Gordon Brown doesn't, unless the English-Scottish rivalry is a lot worse than I thought. Obama getting elected president of the United States is along the same lines as an Untouchable becoming Prime Minister of India or an Ainu becoming Prime Minister of Japan. I'm still a little stunned it actually happened, especially when you consider that less than a lifetime ago, Obama could have been lynched just for refusing to yield the sidewalk to a white man.