--- description: A world leader and South Korean pop star are tied for first place in the TIME 100 reader's poll. title: A World Leader and Pop Star Are Tied in the TIME 100 Reader's Poll image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A World Leader and a Pop Star Are Neck-and-Neck in the TIME 100 Reader's Poll by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 9, 2015 12:36 AM CUT by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 9, 2015 12:36 AM CUT Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korean pop star Lee Chae-rin are tied for first place in the [TIME 100 reader’s poll](http://time.com/3747739/time-100-poll-results/ "undefined"). [Lee Chae-rin](http://time.com/3763868/cl-2ne1-time-100/ "undefined")—better known as CL—is a member of the South Korean pop group 2NE1\. The group has gained popularity worldwide and is considered one of the most successful K-pop groups. CL currently has a higher percentage of votes in the poll than Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. [Putin](http://time.com/3772023/time-100-poll-vladimir-putin/ "undefined") has been one of the world’s most controversial leaders of the past year for, among other things, Russia’s backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine. He’s ranked above other leaders like Pope Francis and President Obama. (Both Putin and Obama appeared on the [2014 list](http://time.com/collection/2014-time-100/leaders/ "undefined").) The duo were within .2% of one another as of Wednesday evening, with Putin just ahead of CL, at 6%. (Click [here](http://time.com/3747739/time-100-poll-results/ "undefined") to see who is currently winning.) Voting in the reader’s poll closes April 10 at 11:59 p.m. ET—cast your ballot below—and the poll’s winner will be announced April 13\. This year’s official TIME 100 list will be announced April 16. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3814139/vladimir-putin-k-pop-star-cl-time-100-poll/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3814139/vladimir-putin-k-pop-star-cl-time-100-poll/"},"headline":"A World Leader and a Pop Star Are Neck-and-Neck in the TIME 100 Reader's Poll","datePublished":"2015-04-09T00:36:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:15:09.936Z","description":"Voting closes April 10 at 11:59 p.m. ET","url":"https://time.com/3814139/vladimir-putin-k-pop-star-cl-time-100-poll/","keywords":["celebrities","Vladimir Putin","Poll","TIME 100"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3814139/vladimir-putin-k-pop-star-cl-time-100-poll/","name":"A World Leader and a Pop Star Are Neck-and-Neck in the TIME 100 Reader's Poll"}}]}] ```