Defeated or deposed: 5 unexpected exits of national leaders in 2024

The year 2024 began with significant political turmoil as several world leaders faced unexpected exits, altering the political dynamics of their countries. From devastating electoral losses to resignations amid crises, these leaders’ departures highlight shifting political tides and the fragility of power in today’s volatile global environment.

Rishi Sunak- Britain’s shortest-serving PM in decades

Few British politicians have risen as quickly as Rishi Sunak, but the rapid and steep nature of his downfall is now likely to define his legacy. Rising from junior minister to prime minister in just three years, Sunak has left his Conservative party facing its worst-ever election result.

The Conservative Party led by Sunak suffered a heavy defeat in elections held this year after 14 years in government, ending his premiership 20 months after he was sworn in amidst political turmoil in the party. His brief tenure places him among Britain’s shortest-serving prime ministers since World War II, following only Alec Douglas-Home and Liz Truss.

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The 44-year-old was undoubtedly the underdog in the election, coming at the end of a long line of Conservative Party leaders over 14 tough years that underwent some seismic shocks in the form of Brexit and then the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was in the midst of the latter that Sunak shone as Britain’s first Indian-origin Chancellor, stepping up to the seemingly impossible task of reassuring a panicked public about their finances.

However, the bond between him and his boss at the time, Boris Johnson, fell prey to the latter’s downward popularity spiral with the scandal of lockdown law-breaking party gate scandal.

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Sunak was elected Conservative Party leader on Diwali day in October 2022, when he entered 10 Downing Street as the youngest British Prime Minister in 210 years and the country’s very first non-white leader. In his first address at the doorstep of 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister, Sunak pledged to approach the country’s problems with “compassion” and “to place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda”.

However, he took charge at a particularly volatile period amid soaring inflation made worse by predecessor Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget. While he succeeded in his aim to bring inflation back down, the wider sense of anti-incumbency against his deeply divided party has only intensified.

As a downcast Sunak conceded defeat and watched the Conservative Party’s seats plunge to a historically dismal low, he may take some comfort in the fact that his legacy as Britain’s first-ever Prime Minister of Indian heritage is secure.

Fumio Kishida, resigned amid Japan’s deepening political crisis

It’s been a challenging summer for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. A string of scandals involving the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), his closest allies, and even his family, has put his position in jeopardy.

The timing couldn’t have been worse, with rising living costs and growing discontent within the LDP added to his troubles. Kishida’s approval ratings hit record lows and amid this turmoil. Stung by his party’s corruption scandals, he has suffered dwindling support ratings that have dipped below 20%.

Fumio Kishida pushed through Japan’s biggest wage increases in decades. He also unveiled Japan’s biggest military buildup since World War Two with a commitment to double defence spending aimed at deterring neighbouring China from pursuing its territorial ambitions in East Asia through military force. At Washington’s prodding, Kishida also mended Japan’s strained ties with South Korea, enabling the two and their mutual ally, the United States, to pursue deeper security co-operation against the threat from North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.

But it was not enough to make up for the impact the battered yen has had - or keep him in his job as prime minister.

He succumbed to months of woeful public support numbers and resigned with his Cabinet. His tenure was marred by scandals, including one involving party slush funds.

Kishida also faced public discontent as wages failed to keep pace with rising living costs as Japan finally shook off years of deflationary pressure. His premiership was also marked by a changing security environment that spurred Japan to revisit its traditional pacifist policy.

Sheikh Hasina, deposed seven months after winning Bangladesh election

Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister and fled the country on Monday following weeks of deadly protests that began as demonstrations by students against government job quotas but surged into a movement demanding her resignation.

Following her resignation, President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament, paving the way for the formation of an interim government. The president also freed Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister and Hasina’s arch-rival, from house arrest and later Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus appointed chief adviser of the interim government.

Hasina has been one of the dominant figures in its politics since the assassination of her father, independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, nearly a half-century ago. Her flight came less than seven months after she celebrated a fourth straight term in power - and fifth overall - by sweeping a national election in January that was boycotted by the main opposition.

Protests erupted in the country in June after student groups’ demands for the scrapping of a controversial quota system in government jobs escalated into a movement seeking the end of her rule.

Her father, who led Bangladesh’s fight for independence from Pakistan in 1971, was assassinated with most her family in a military coup in 1975. She was fortunate to have been visiting Europe at the time.

Born in 1947, in southwestern Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, Hasina was the eldest of five children. She graduated in Bengali Literature from Dhaka University in 1973 and gained political experience as a go-between for her father and his student followers. She returned to Bangladesh from India, where she lived in exile, in 1981 and was elected head of the Awami League.

Hasina later joined hands with political foe Khaleda Zia, chief of the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to lead a popular uprising for democracy that toppled military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad from power in 1990.

But the alliance with Zia did not last long and the bitter rivalry between the two women - often called the “battling begums” - went on to dominate Bangladeshi politics for decades.

Despite criticism of her years in power, Hasina was credited with turning around the economy and the massive garments industry, while winning international praise for sheltering Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

As the interim government ends its three months in office, people remain concerned over high commodity prices, law and order, mob justice and the rise of Islamist forces once suppressed by Hasina’s regime. The international community also remains wary about alleged attacks on minority groups, especially Hindus who make up about 8% of the country’s 170 million people.

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who assumed office following a popular revolution in August had announced that general elections are scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026.

Alexander De Croo of Belgium, faced a crushing defeat

Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo resigned following his party’s significant defeat in this year’s national and European parliamentary elections.

De Croo’s political journey was unconventional, contrasting with the more traditional paths often seen in Belgian politics. After earning a degree in commercial engineering, he spent a decade in the private sector. He worked as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group from 1999 to 2006 and later founded an intellectual property consultancy.

Despite his political lineage, with his father Herman De Croo being Belgium’s longest-serving parliamentarian and a prominent figure in the Flemish Liberals (Open Vld), Alexander De Croo’s entry into politics was not immediately apparent. However, his eventual transition into public service brought a fresh perspective, shaped by his extensive private-sector experience.

De Croo will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new coalition is formed.

Leo Varadkar of Ireland resigned in a ‘surprise’ decision as the prime minister

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who made history as his country’s first gay and first biracial leader, announced his resignation in March this year for reasons that he said were both personal and political.

Varadkar, 45, has had two spells as taoiseach, or prime minister — between 2017 and 2020, and again since December 2022 as part of a job-share with Micheál Martin, head of coalition partner Fianna Fáil.

He was the country’s youngest-ever leader when first elected, as well as Ireland’s first openly gay prime minister. Varadkar, whose mother is Irish and father is Indian, was also Ireland’s first biracial taoiseach.

Varadkar was first elected to parliament in 2007, and once said he’d quit politics by the age of 50.

He also led Ireland through Brexit talks and the start of the COVID-19 crisis, while Ireland voted to remove a ban on abortion under his leadership. Varadkar announced publicly that he was gay in a radio interview during the 2015 referendum campaign that successfully legalised same-sex marriage.

Varadkar also has expressed frustration at how polarized politics has become in Ireland, as in other countries. There were reports of discontent within Fine Gael, and 10 of the party’s lawmakers, almost a third of the total, announced they will not run for reelection.

Earlier this year, he suffered an embarrassing defeat when a large majority of voters rejected proposals to replace constitutional references to a mother’s “duties in the home”.

With inputs from agencies.