2021 Leadership Check: Biden and Draghi the best
Atalayar, the international analysis programme broadcast by Capital Radio, is celebrating its first anniversary, to the pride of all of us who make it. It is not usual in the media in our country to find a space that does not seek noise, fury, confrontation and polarisation, and in which the only objective is an honest, rigorous and moderate analysis of the events taking place on a global scale. Of course, with the personal positioning of each professional who participates in it, we only needed to ask for permission to express free and independent opinions. But the miracle that gave birth to a communication project during the hardest months of confinement due to the pandemic has been maintained over time to carry us forward to the first anniversary of that May 4th when we started up, at five past ten in the evening, in Capital Radio's central studios on the Rubén Darío roundabout in Madrid, with the typical nerves of a premiere. Today, Atalayar Radio is a consolidated programme, a benchmark for international news in our country, where all those who have something to say in this field want to join the voices that have already appeared in the twelve months of broadcasting: political leaders such as Esteban González Pons, Luis Garicano, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, José Ramón Bauzá, or Soraya Rodríguez; former ministers such as García Margallo, Ramón Jáuregui, Eduardo Serra, Juan Costa or Josep Piqué; international personalities such as Rebeca Grynspan, Moisés Naim, Jorge Dezcallar, Antonio Camuñas, Teresa Freixes or Jurgen Donges; journalists of the stature of José María Carrascal, Diego Carcedo, Miguel Ángel Idígoras and Jacob Petrus; and the dozens of analysts who every Monday make possible the scrutiny of world reality that we offer live and leave on the web through digital platforms.
On its first anniversary, Atalayar on Capital Radio has carried out the second World Leadership Barometer, after the one that in December chose, with the votes of the programme's contributors, Angela Merkel as the best leader of 2020 and Donald Trump as the worst. Four months later, with the former American president no longer on the front page, his successor Joe Biden is the best for our analysts... but Mario Draghi, the Italian Prime Minister who has been leading his country for two and a half months with extraordinary results so far, especially in economic terms, but also in terms of pacifying political life, slips in with the same number of votes. Both are, ex aequo, the best of the first quarter of the year. Among those distinguished for their good work, Merkel appears once again, although she falls to third place, and Isabel Díaz Ayuso (chosen by one of the digital analysts) appears with one vote, as does Canada's Justin Trudeau.
On the negative side, Trump's exit is more than covered by Nicolás Maduro, distinguished as the worst leader in the world by far. He has twice as many votes as the runner-up, Brazil's Bolsonaro, and far outstrips the third, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The majority of journalists, diplomats and experts taking part in the vote believe that the Venezuelan president, anchored to his seat despite the flagrant irregularities he has committed, is the most regrettable leader on the planet today. Pedro Sánchez, who was not even proposed among the possible candidates due to his lack of leadership profile in the global context, has garnered several votes in this category.
And as a curiosity that demonstrates the pluralism of the voices that make up the programme's team, Vladimir Putin has obtained votes in both categories, as best and worst international leader.
The special programme, which will be broadcast on Monday 3 May at 10 p.m. on Capital's radio stations, will review this poll and offer listeners the biannual check-up on world leaders.