With the announcement of Rishi Sunak as the UK's first Indian-origin Prime Minister, here are some other notable Indian-origin world leaders who hold high positions.
Rishi Sunak is the UK's first Prime Minister of colour and the youngest Prime Minister in 200 years. The position was filled after Liz Truss' resignation on October 20 after only 45 days in office by the 42-year-old, who had previously served as the UK's finance minister. Boris Johnson had been replaced by Truss.
In reality, Sunak isn't the only leader of Indian descent in a position of authority. More than 200 persons of Indian descent hold leadership roles in as many as 15 different nations, with more than 60 of them holding cabinet seats, according to the 2021 Indiaspora Government Leaders List published by a US-based organisation that works with the Indian diaspora.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali was born in Leonora, West Coast Demerara, on August 2, 2020, into a Muslim Indo-Guyanese family. Since 2020, he has served as Guyana's executive president nine times.
In addition, he is the second Muslim head of state in America after Noor Hassanali and the first Muslim president of Guyana.
Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi, a former police officer, has served as Suriname's president nine times since 2020. He won an uncontested race and was elected.
In Lelydorp, Suriname, Santokhi was born to an Indo-Surinamese Hindu household.
The nation's first female and black vice president is Kamala Devi Harris. As the first African American and Asian American in the White House, the 49th vice president is equally historic.
She belongs to the Democratic Party and served as California's senator from 2017 until 2021. From 2011 until 2017, she was also California's attorney general. Harris was born in California to parents who were Jamaican and Indian.
Since June 2020, Leo Eric Varadkar has been Ireland's Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment.
He is a member of the Fine Gael political party and formerly held the positions of Taoiseach and Minister for Defence from 2017 until 2020.
Dublin-born Varadkar is the son of Ashok – who was born in Mumbai and later moved to the UK – and Miriam.
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