BENAZIR BHUTTO IS THE TENERIFE FORUM'S PERSON OF THE YEAR 2007. Born in 1953 in the province of Sindh and educated at Harvard and Oxford, Benazir Bhutto's credibility as a politician arose primarily from her father's high profile, even though she herself was a reluctant convert to politics. She was twice prime minister of Pakistan, from 1988 to 1990, and from 1993 to 1996. On both occasions she was dismissed from office by the president.
The dismissals for alleged corruption typified her volatile political career, which was characterised by numerous peaks and troughs. At the height of her popularity - shortly after her first election - she was one of the most high-profile women leaders in the world. Young and glamorous, she successfully portrayed herself as a refreshing contrast to the overwhelmingly male-dominated political establishment. But after her second fall from power, her name came to be seen by some as synonymous with corruption and bad governance.
The determination and stubbornness for which Ms Bhutto was renowned was first seen after her father was imprisoned by Gen Zia ul-Haq in 1977, following a military coup. Two years later he was executed after a much criticised trial on charges of conspiring to murder a political opponent. Ms Bhutto was imprisoned just before her father's death and spent most of her five-year jail term in solitary confinement. She described the conditions as extremely hard.
During stints out of prison for medical treatment, Ms Bhutto set up a Pakistan People's Party office in London, and began a campaign against General Zia. She returned to Pakistan in 1986, attracting huge crowds to political rallies. After Gen Zia died in an explosion on board his aircraft in 1988, she became one of the first democratically elected female prime ministers in an Islamic country.
Ms Bhutto also steadfastly denied all the corruption charges against her, which she said were politically motivated. She faced corruption charges in at least five cases, all without a conviction, until amnestied in October 2007. She was convicted in 1999 for failing to appear in court, but the Supreme Court later overturned that judgement. Soon after the conviction, however, audiotapes of conversations between the judge and some top aides of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were discovered that showed that the judge had been under pressure to convict.
Ms Bhutto left Pakistan in 1999 to live abroad. During her years outside Pakistan, Ms Bhutto lived with her three children in Dubai, where she was joined by her husband after he was freed in 2004. She was a regular visitor to Western capitals, delivering lectures at universities and think-tanks and meeting government officials. Ms Bhutto returned to Pakistan on 18 October 2007 after President Musharraf signed into law an ordinance granting her and others an amnesty from corruption charges.
Observers said the military regime saw her as a natural ally in its efforts to isolate religious forces and their surrogate militants. She declined a government offer to let her party head the national government after the 2002 elections, in which the party received the largest number of votes. In the months before her death, she had emerged again as a strong contender for power. Western powers saw in her a popular leader with liberal leanings who could bring much needed legitimacy to Mr Musharraf's role in the "war against terror".
She was assassinated on 27th December 2007 when a gunman shot her as she was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi. Her 19-year-old son Bilawal has been chosen to take over her Pakistan People's Party.
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Original First Post: Time Magazine recently chose Vladimir Putin as their Person of the Year 2007. Among the runners up were Al Gore, JK Rowling, Hu Jintao, Steve Jobs, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Condoleeza Rice, and General David Petraeus.
It's all too American and/or political for my liking, so I thought we'd have our own Person of the Year 2007.
So let's have your nominations. Entries accepted up to midnight 27th, when I'll set a poll for votes to be counted on New Year's Eve.
EDIT> Only public persons, please, not forum members.
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