FX.co ★ Model and DJ: how politicians started their careers

The former Prime Minister of Bulgaria worked as a personal bodyguard

A karate instructor, a fireman, an employee of the private security company, a personal bodyguard of the former Tsar of Bulgaria Simeon II, who returned with his family from exile, - this is the work experience of Boyko Borisov before he was elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria in 2009.

President of Turkmenistan had a long career as a dentist

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has been heading Turkmenistan since 2007. He came to the office of President after a long reign of Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006. Before he succeeded Niyazov, he had worked as his personal dentist.

In 1997, he became Minister of Health. The trusting relations with Niyazov and his support helped him to take the post of the President of Turkmenistan.

The former President of Madagascar worked as a DJ

Andry Rajoelina became the head of the state when he was 34, as a result of the armed coup. A post, President of the High Transitional Authority, was created specially for him, which he held from 2009 to 2014.

Prior to his political career, he first worked as an organizer of mass entertainment events and a DJ, then founded his own radio station and television studio.

As for the next elections in 2018, he is banned from running for office. As experts believe, despite this, he is unlikely to return to the career of a DJ, since he had great prospects in politics.

The Prime Minister of Albania was an artist

Edi Rama graduated from the Art School in Paris as an artist and teacher, and after his return to Albania in 1998, he became Minister of Culture. Then he took up the post of Mayor of the capital of Albania. During his patronage over the city that the boring streets of Tirana were repainted in different colors.

Rama was also professionally fond of basketball. And in the interview with the BBC in 2004, he said that he considers himself an artist who tried to use politics as a tool for change.

Rama went into politics after the collapse of the communist regime, when he joined the Socialist Party.

The President of Slovenia was a model

The Slovenian President Borut Pahor has been interested in politics since his youth. At school and University, he was the Komsomol activist. He studied at the sociological faculty of the University of Ljubljana. According to the Slovenian press, in order to pay for his education at the university, Borut Pahor worked as a model.

The former Communist official and Prime Minister Pahor was elected as President in December 2012.

Prime Minister of Australia studied to become a priest

At the age of 20, Tony Abbott was going to become a Catholic priest. He entered the Seminary of St. Patrick, however, three years later he left.

Furthermore, the politician was fond of boxing, and because of his aggressive style in politics he got the nickname “the Mad Monk”.

President of Ireland is a poet

Michael Higgins is an author of four books of poems. He was the last Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs before the merging of this Ministry with the Ministry of Arts and Culture. It was he who urged Ireland to become a "Republic of creative arts".

Nevertheless, critics were not very enthusiastic about the poetry of Higgins. One of them even said that the President can be accused of a crime against literature.

He has been holding the presidency of Ireland since 2011.

The former Prime Minister of Italy worked as a singer on a cruise ship

Silvio Berlusconi, in addition to holding the post of Prime Minister, is known as a media baron and an owner of a football club. According to Der Spiegel, he, above all, worked as a singer on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean in the 1950s and 1960s.

Berlusconi resigned in 2011. In addition, he is banned from running and holding public offices. However, Berlusconi does not miss the opportunity to be on stage. Recently, he has recorded his own songs featuring Mariano Apicella.

The Prime Minister of Iceland was a flight attendant

Johanna Sigurdardottir caused quite a sensation after she had been elected as Prime Minister in 2009.

According to the Guardian, Sigurdardottir became the first Prime Minister in the world, who does not hide her nonstandard sexual orientation. Before coming to power, she has worked as a flight attendant in the Icelandair national airline for 30 years.

In the airline, she became a union leader, launched her own trade union movement and thus entered politics.