The 2011 TIME 100 Poll

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes that you think are the most influential people in the world. Though official voting for inclusion on the TIME 100 list has now closed (with Rain as the 2011 readers' choice), users can continue to vote for their favorites until the final list, selected by our editors, is revealed on Thursday, April 21st

TIME 100 Candidates

Vladimir Putin

By TIME StaffMonday, Apr. 04, 2011
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Sasha Mordovets / Getty Images

Age: 58
Occupation: Prime Minister of Russia
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 2

Had he been President of the U.S. instead of Russia, Vladimir Putin might now be working on his memoirs and championing pet causes through a foundation. But when the former KGB man's second presidential term expired in 2008, he handed the reins to his protégé Dmitri Medvedev and took over the position of Prime Minister. Despite his autocratic tendencies, Putin remains widely popular in a country that credits him with restoring stability and global influence. That, and his base in the security services, makes him, perhaps, the most influential figure in Moscow. And it's widely assumed that a constitution that allows him to run again next year will see Putin seek to reclaim the top job.

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