| Afghanistan | Hamid Karzai | 2001 | provisional government after civil war |
| Algeria | Abdelaziz Bouteflika | 1999 | only candidate in election |
| Angola | Jose Eduardo dos Santos | 1979 | succeeded dead president |
| Argentina | Cristina Fernandez` | 2003 | national elections |
| Armenia | Serge Sargsyan/Sarkisian | 2008 | national election |
| Australia | Kevin Rudd | 2008 | national election |
| Austria | Wolfgang Schuessel | ? | national election |
| Azerbaijan | Ilham Aliyev | 2003 | succeeds father |
| Bahamas | Hubert Ingraham | 2007 | national election |
| Bangladesh | Khaleda Zia | 2001 | national election |
| Belarus | Alexander Lukashenko | 1994 | inherited presidency from communism |
| Belgium | Guy Verhofstadt | ? | national election |
| Bhutan | Jigmi Kinley | 2008 | national election |
| Bolivia | Evo Morales | 2005 | national elections |
| Botswana | Festus Gontebanye Mogae | 1998 | national elections |
| Brazil | Luiz Inacio Lula | 2002 | national election |
| Britain | Tony Blair | 1997 | national election |
| Bulgaria | Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha | 2001 | national election |
| Burkina Faso | Blaise Campaore | 1987 | coup |
| Burma | Than Shwe | 1992 | appointed by military council |
| Burundi | Pierre Nkurunziza | 2005 | national elections |
| Cambodia | Hun Sen | 1997 | coup |
| Cameroon | Paul Biya | 1982 | succeeded dead president |
| Canada | Stephen Harper | 2006 | national elections |
| Centrafrica | Francois Bozize | 2003 | coup |
| Chad | Idriss Deby | 1990 | coup |
| Chile | Michelle Bachelet | 2006 | national election |
| China | Hu Jintao | 2003 | appointed by communist party |
| Colombia | Alvaro Uribe | 2002 | national elections |
| Congo | Joseph Kabila | 2000 | succeeded father who was assassinated |
| Congo Brazzaville | Denis Sassou-Nguesso | 1997 | after civil war |
| Costarica | Oscar Arias | 2006 | national election |
| Croatia | Ivo Sanader | 2003 | national election |
| Cuba | Raul Castro | 2006 | inherited power from brother Fidel |
| Cyprus (Greek) | Demetris Christofias | 2008 | national elections |
| Cyprus (Turkish) | Mehmet Ali Talat | 2005 | national elections |
| Czech Republic | Stanislav Gross | 2004 | European elections |
| Denmark | Anders Fogh Rasmussen | ? | national elections |
| East Timor | Jose Ramos-Horta | 2007 | national elections |
| Ecuador | Rafael Correas | 2006 | national elections |
| El Salvador | Tony Saca | 2004 | national elections |
| Equatorial Guinea | Teodoro Obiang Nguema | 1979 | coup |
| Eritrea | Issaias Afwerki | 1991 | since independence |
| Estonia | Arnold Ruutel | ? | national elections |
| Ethiopia | Meles Zenawi | 1995 | national elections |
| Finland | Tarja Halonen | 2000 | national elections |
| France | Nicolas Sarkozy | 2007 | national election |
| Gabon | El Hadj Omar Bongo | 1967 | succeeded dead president |
| Gambia | Yahya Jammeh | 1994 | coup |
| Georgia | Mikhail Saakashvili | 2004 | national elections |
| Germany | Gerhard Schroeder | 1998 | national election |
| Ghana | John Kufuor | 2001 | national election |
| Greece | Costas Karamanlis | 2004 | national election |
| Guatemala | Alvaro Colom | 2007 | national election |
| Guinea | Sekou Toure | 1984 | succeeded dead president |
| Haiti | Rene Preval | 2006 | national election |
| Honduras | Ricardo Maduro | ???? | ???? |
| Hungary | Ferenc Gyurcsany | 2004 | national election |
| Iawar | Yustole Dispage | 2004 | national election |
| India | Manmohan Singh | 2004 | national election |
| Indonesia | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono | 2004 | replaced impeached president |
| Iran | Muhammad Khatami | 1997 | national election |
| Iraq /td> | Jawad al-Maliki | 2006 | national election |
| Ireland /td> | Brian Cowen | 2008 | succeeded resigning prime minister |
| Israel | Ehud Olmert | 2006 | national election |
| Italy | Silvio Berlusconi | 2008 | national election |
| Ivory Coast | Laurent Gbagbo | ??? | ??? |
| Jamaica | Bruce Golding | 2007 | national elections |
| Japan | Taro Aso | 2008 | nominated prime minister by ruling coalition |
| Jordan | King Abdullah | 1999 | succeeded his father |
| Kenya | Mwai Kibaki | 2003 | national election |
| Korea (South) | Lee Myung-bak | 2008 | national election |
| Korea (North) | Kim Jong II | 1994 | succeeded his father |
| Kuwait | Sabah al-Ahmad | 2006 | death of sheik |
| Kyrgyzstan | Kurmanbek Bakiyev | 2005 | national elections |
| Latvia | Vaira Vike-Freiberga | ? | national election |
| Lebanon | Fouad Siniora | national elections | 2005 |
| Liberia | Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf | 2005 | national elections |
| Libya | Qaddafi | 1969 | coup |
| Lithuania | Valdas Adamkus | 2004 | national elections |
| Madagascar | Marc Ravalomanana | 2002 | national election |
| Malawi | Bingu wa Mutharika | 2004 | national election |
| Malaysia | Abdullah Badawi | 2003 | succeeded retiring president |
| Mali | Amadou Toumani Toure | 2002 | national elections |
| Mauritania | Maaouya Ould Taya | 1984 | coup |
| Mexico | Felipe Calderon | 2006 | national election |
| Mongolia | Nambaryn Enkhbayar | 2005 | Mongolia |
| Morocco | Mohammed VI | 1999 | succeeded his father |
| Mozambique | Joaquim Chissano | 1986 | succeeded dead president |
| Namibia | Hifikepunye Pohamba | 2005 | national election |
| Nepal | Ram Baran Yadavcalled | 2008 | national elections |
| Netherlands | Jan Peter Balkenende | 2002 | national election |
| New Zealand | Helen Clark | 1999 | national election |
| Nicaragua | Daniel Ortega | 2006 | national election |
| Niger | Tandja Mamadou | 1999 | national election |
| Nigeria | Umaru Yar'Adua | 2007 | national election |
| Norway | Jens Stoltenberg | 2005 | national elections |
| Pakistan | Yousuf Raza Gilani | 2008 | national elections |
| Palestine | Mahmoud Abbas | 2005 | national elections, but occupied by Israel |
| Panama | Martin Torrijos | 2004 | national elections |
| Papua New Guinea | Mekere Morauta | ???? | ??? |
| Paraguay | Fernando Lugo | 2008 | national elections |
| Peru | Alan Garcia | 2006 | national elections |
| Philippines | Gloria Arroyo | 2001 | succeeded president Joseph Estrada who resigned |
| Poland | Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz | 2005 | national elections |
| Portugal | Jose Socrates | 2005 | national election |
| Qatar | Hamad al-Thani | ??? | emir |
| Romania | Traian Basescu | 2005 | national elections |
| Russia | Dmitry Medvedev | 2008 | appointed by predecessor |
| Rwanda | Paul Kagame | 1994 | prevailed in civil war |
| Sahrawi | Mohammad Abdelaziz | 199? | ? |
| Saudi Arabia | Fahd bin 'Abdulaziz | 1982 | succeeds his brother |
| Senegal | Abdoulaye Wade | 2000 | national elections |
| Serbia | Mirko Cvetkovic | 2008 | national elections |
| Sierra Leone | Ernest Koroma | 2007 | national elections |
| Singapore | Lee Hsien Loong | 2004 | succeeded departing prime minister |
| Slovakia | Robert Fico | 2006 | national elections |
| Slovenia | Janez Drnovsek | 2002 | national elections |
| Somalia | Mohamad Ghedi | 2005 | peace agreement |
| Somaliland | Dahir Riyale Kahnim | 2005 | elections |
| South Africa | Kgalema Motlanthe | 2008 | succeeded resigning president |
| Spain | Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero | 2004 | national election |
| Sri Lanka | Mahinda Rajapakse | 2005 | national election |
| Sudan | Omar al-Bashir | 1999 | coup |
| Suriname | Ronald Venetiaan | 2000 | national elections |
| Sweden | Fredrik Reinfeldt | 2006 | national elections |
| Sydewascar | Yustol Dispage | 1996 | coup |
| Syria | Bashar Assad | 2000 | succeeded his father |
| Taiwan | Ma Ying-jeou | 2008 | national election |
| Tanzania | Jakaya Kikwete | 2005 | national election |
| Thailand | Sondhi Boonyaratkalin | 2006 | coup |
| Tibet | Dalai Lama | ??? | in exile since China invaded Tibet |
| Togo | Gnassingbe Eyadema | 1967 | coup |
| Tunisia | Zine El Abidine Ben Ali | 1987 | coup |
| Turkey | Recep Tayyip Erdogan | 2003 | elections |
| Turkmenistan | Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov | 2006 | succeeded dead president |
| Uganda | Yoweri Museveni | 1986 | prevailed in civil war |
| Ukraine | Viktor Yushchenko | 2005 | national elections |
| United Arab Emirates | Khalifa ibn-Zayed | 2004 | succeeded his father |
| Uruguay | Tabare Vazquez | 2004 | national election |
| USA | George W Bush | 2001 | national election (disputed) |
| Uzbekistan | Islam Karimov | 1991 | inherited power from Soviet Union |
| Venezuela | Hugo Chavez | 1999 | national election |
| Vietnam | Nong Duc Manh | 2001 | secretary general of communist party |
| Yemen | Ali Abdullah Saleh | 1978 | ??? |
| Zambia | Rupiah Banda | 2008 | succeeded dead president |
| Zimbabwe | Robert Mugabe | 1980 | since independence |