Bill Rowling vs Francois Tombalbaye

Following the sudden death of Prime Minister Norman Kirk, Bill Rowling was elected by the Labour Party caucus to succeed him as Prime Minister of New Zealand. He took office on 6 September 1974, inheriting a government facing economic challenges.

Rowling led the Labour Party into the 1975 general election against Robert Muldoon's National Party. Labour suffered a decisive defeat, winning only 32 seats to National's 55, ending Rowling's tenure as Prime Minister after just over a year.

After the 1975 election defeat, Rowling remained as Leader of the Opposition until 1983. He led the Labour Party through a period of internal division and policy development, including the adoption of more free-market economic ideas that later became Rogernomics.

Rowling resigned as leader of the Labour Party in 1983 after failing to win the 1981 election, though Labour had won the popular vote. He was succeeded by David Lange, who led Labour to victory in 1984.

Francois Tombalbaye became the first president of Chad upon independence from France. He inherited a poor, ethnically divided country and sought to centralize power, favoring his own Sara ethnic group.

Tombalbaye banned all opposition parties, establishing a one-party state under the Chadian Progressive Party. This led to increased repression, particularly against northern Muslim groups, fueling a long-running civil war.

Tombalbaye was killed during a military coup led by General Felix Malloum. His death ended 15 years of increasingly autocratic rule, but Chad remained mired in civil war and instability for decades.