Senior G8 leader

The senior G8 leader is the person who has been the leader of a G8 country the longest. This is a chronology of who was the senior G8 leader at any given time after the founding of the G6 (a precursor organization to the G8). [Canada did not join the organization until 1976 while Russia did not join until 1997. Therefore, Canadian leaders prior to 1976 and Russian leaders before 1997 are not included in this list.] The G8 leaders are the Prime Minister of Canada, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Italy, the Prime Minister of Japan, the President of Russia, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the President of the United States.

Current senior G8 leader

President of the United States George W. Bush became the senior G8 leader when Vladimir Putin retired as Russian President on May 7 2008. Having become President on January 20 2001, Bush's term as President is scheduled to expire on January 20 2009.

Next senior G8 leader

Upon Bush's retirement, Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi will become the Senior G8 Leader, if he is still in office then. He has been Prime Minister twice before, for well over five years.

After Berlusconi in seniority is Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, who became Chancellor on November 22 2005. After Merkel would be Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, who assumed office on February 6 2006 and President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, who became President on May 16 2007. Behind Sarkozy is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown, who became Prime Minister on June 27 2007, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who assumed office on May 7 2008. Last in seniority is Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso, who assumed office on September 24 2008.

G8 tenure

*The longest period anyone has been the senior G8 leader is the eight years of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher who was Prime Minister for eleven years.
*Despite being founding members of the G6 (which later became the G7, and then the G8), Italy and Japan have never had their Prime Ministers become the Senior G8 Leader. Other than Silvio Berlusconi (currently the second-most senior G8 leader), no Prime Minister of Italy has ever held office for more than five years since the founding of the G6. No Prime Minister of Japan has ever held office for more than five years, four months since the founding of the G6.
*Except for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Harold Wilson, the first person to be Senior G8 Leader, no Senior G8 Leader has held office for less than eight years.
*The G8 leaders consist of four Prime Ministers (Canada, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom), three Presidents (France, Russia, and the United States), and one Chancellor (Germany).
*The Prime Ministers of Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom serve in monarchies. The other five G8 countries are republics.
*The President of the United States is the only G8 leader who is both head of state and head of government. France and Russia (which both have semi-presidential systems of government) send their heads of state to G8 meetings. The other five nations send their heads of government to G8 meetings.

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