A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to the person among a number of leaders of a state, organization or other such group who has been given or is able to exercise the most – or complete – authority over it. In a religion, this role is usually satisfied by a person deemed to be the representative or manifestation of a god or gods on Earth. In politics, a supreme leader usually has a cult of personality associated with them, such as below:
- Adolf Hitler in Germany
- Benito Mussolini in Italy
- Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union
- Supreme leader of North Korea
- Paramount leader of China
- Supreme leader of Iran