8. Aleksandr Lukashenko - Belarus
Labelled Europe's Last Dictatorship, the poor Belorussians have been putting up with Lukashenko since 1994 when he was elected President of Belarus. He actually voted to stay in the Soviet Union and was very very close to Russia for many years before the eventual dissolution of their special relationship. He was resistant to the European 'shock policy' stance after the crumbling of the USSR which made him very unpopular. Lukashenko thinks that an authoritarian approach to governance and his unique policies - such as the centralisation of virtually everything in the country, have saved Belarus from the poverty found in other ex Soviet states and also from Russian Mafia style infiltration. Since 2006, Belarus has had sanctions imposed upon her by the EU and America for the alleged violations of human rights. Lovely things that Lukashenko has done includes: bankrupting Belarus and blaming the West for his own stupid actions, giving arms to both Iraq and Iran, suggesting to Serbian monster Slobadon Milosevic that they form an alliance, rigging elections so he is elected by a landslide and harassing the opposition and jailing them. He has also caused the Belorussian economy to go into a state of permanent flux and retains his power by appealing to certain sectors of Belarus society who are nostalgic for the Soviet era. The EU, on account of the fact that Lukashenko is a dictator, frequently withholds trade from him - they do bother with him from time to time in an effort to try and lure him out of his tyrannical ways but this rarely happens. A once close relationship with Russia has dissolved into antagonism. Venezuela seems to be one of Belarus' only two allies with its President calling Belarus 'a model state'. Belarus is also in tight with Lithuania. Lukashenko also possesses foot in mouth syndrome to rival our very own Prince Philip's. In 1995, he made a pro Hitler remark and in 2007, he voiced both antisemitic and anti-Israeli views which led to almost universal disgust at Belarus. One of Lukashenko's puppet newspapers was called upon to write in his defence. In 2012 he apparently said 'better to be a dictator than gay' to a gay German official who called him the last dictator of Europe. Lukashenko is an anachronism in Europe although I do believe Belarus participates in the Eurovision Song Contest - thats 12 points from Lithuania in the bag and null points from Russia.