Dear friends, Radio Romania International continued the traditional poling of its listeners and Internet and social networks users to decide which of todays personalities influenced the world the most in 2022, in a positive sense.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky was designated The Personality of the Year 2022 on RRI by a huge margin. Raffaele Ponticelli, from Italy, nominated him for the heroism he and his people showed in defending the country against the Russian invasion. Miodrag Ristić, from Serbia, argued that Courage, wisdom, determination are the characteristics of a person, and this person is the president of Ukraine. My choice is Ukrainian President Zelensky who has been an inspiration to his people in the struggle against the Russian invasion wrote Christer Brunström, from Sweden. Zelensky defended and led his country so well in the sad war against the Russian invader that is unjustly ravaging Ukraine, a war that we all hope will end soon, argued Miguel Ramon Bauset from Spain. A charismatic and resilient personality, Volodymyr Zelensky is the symbol of a people’s resistance against invaders, of the aspiration for democracy, independence and peace, he is the symbol of political renewal, wrote Maguy Roy, from France. Zelensky leads his country without being intimidated by what is probably the most difficult stage since the end of World War II, wrote Carsten Fenske, from Germany.
Also nominated for The Personality of the Year 2022 on RRI were the Ukrainian people as a whole, the commander of the Ukrainian Army, General Valeryi Zaluzhny, the volunteers who help the people affected by the war in Ukraine, the journalists, especially those from public stations, who correctly cover the war in Ukraine, journalists from all over the world who oppose the war in Ukraine, as well as the Iranian people, namely the Iranian women who oppose the theocratic regime. Among the nominated leaders were Pope Francis, King Charles III of Great Britain, the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Other nominees for the Personality of the Year 2022 were, among others, the new child prodigy of world swimming, the Romanian David Popovici, Argentinas star Lionel Messi, Argentinas football team that won the World Football Championship, and the NASA team for the launch of the Artemis Project, aimed at sending astronauts back to the moon. (Eugen Cojocariu)
