Pope Francis has won 1.5% of the votes, followed by US President Barack Obama, who took the 11th spot with 1.4% of the votes. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have not entered the top 20, getting just 0.9% of the votes.
The final results of the public ballot will be officially announced on Monday, after all the votes are counted. The Time editors’ choice is due to be unveiled on April 16.
Time magazine began publishing its weekly issues in 1923. The ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in the World has been published since 1999.
In November 2014, the Russian leader for the second time in a row topped the annual ranking of the most influential people in the world published by another US magazine, Forbes.
More about: