Odds Heavily Favor Putin & Kim Jong-un Remaining in Power By the End of 2019

• Books released new odds on the job security of several top international leaders
• Will Vladimir Putin remain in power beyond December 31st, 2019?
• Are Kim Jong-un’s days as Supreme Leader of North Korea numbered?

Books have posted some intriguing new odds on which international political leaders will still be in power by the end of 2019. A number of them are very good bets based on the fact that these are not election years in many cases. Let’s take a closer look at the odds available.

Vladimir Putin Odds

*All odds taken on 03/04/19

One of the safest bets on the board is Vladimir Putin remaining in power. The odds ask whether he’ll still be in power by the end of the 2019 calendar year, but Putin just won an election in 2018.

Russian President Vladimir Putin easily wins presidential election by a landslide after securing more than 73 percent of the vote, according to a state-run exit poll https://t.co/qo8eFc0Urm pic.twitter.com/iM4xTGFfSt

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) March 18, 2018

The 2018 Presidential Election saw Putin win with a healthy 76.69% of the popular vote. It is possible he decides to step down as there were rumors that he might do so in 2017, but that seems unlikely.

Kim Jong-un Odds

Kim Jong-un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, is heavily favored to remain in power at the end of calendar year. He’s recently been engaged in talks with the United States to denuclearize North Korea.

Watch how U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong Un spoke about each other over the years. See how their relationship changed from animosity to friendship. #TrumpKimSummit pic.twitter.com/aPTG35o8N6

— CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) February 27, 2019

Tensions were high at different points in recent years when North Korea was doing missile testing, but it seems like they’ve eased up a little bit. The fact that there are even talks is a positive step in the right direction.

Benjamin Netanyahu Odds

Following years of investigations, Israel’s Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, has decided to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with charges of breaches of trust and bribery. That’s one reason why he might not be in power soon. The other reason is that there is an upcoming election.

This is an unprecedented decision to indict a Prime Minister, and has raised all sorts of questions as to what will happen. Some say Netanyahu will go down in history like former United States President Richard Nixon. Other pundits have opined that this is more of a well-timed political endeavor than a legitimate indictment. After all, Netanyahu won’t get the opportunity to defend himself until after the election.

Netanyahu’s dilemma: If he closes the gap with Gantz, he may lose the election https://t.co/rKbnPbMIA2

— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) March 3, 2019

The reason why Netanyahu is favored to remain as Prime Minister beyond the election is because, for the most part, it’s widely recognized that he’s done a good job with foreign policy, the economy, and national defense. Benny Gantz still has a long way to go to close the gap.

Angela Merkel Odds

Angela Merkel can sleep easy knowing that her job as Chancellor of Germany appears to be secure… for now at least. The 64-year-old has held the position since 2005, and has made it clear that she will not seek re-election in 2021 when her term expires.  Given that her exit strategy is well known it seems likely she will remain in power until the end of the calendar year.

Shinzo Abe Odds

Similar to Putin, Abe has survived an election in 2018. Abe was up for re-election for the Liberal Democratic Party leadership in 2018 (Japan’s general elections). He was challenged by Shigeru Ishiba and Abe ended up winning. That renewed his three-year term.

WATCH: Trump might have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Shinzo Abe – and by others pic.twitter.com/1JFtda20YY

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) February 23, 2019

He now has the chance to become the country’s longest-serving prime minister, which was previously held by Taro Katsura. Abe will break the record on November 22nd of this year. With no election in front of him to worry about, he’s at -1200 to remain in power by December 31st. That seems like a good bet.