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Anthony James Leon (born December 15, 1956) is a South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
n politician and the former leader of the Democratic Alliance
Democratic Alliance (South Africa)

The Democratic Alliance is a liberal parties South African political party, and the official opposition to the ruling African National Congress....
, South Africa's main opposition party and former leader of the opposition.

Early life Leon grew up in South Africa in a Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish family during the apartheid era. He was educated at Kearsney College
Kearsney College

Kearsney College is an independent school boarding school for boys in Botha's Hill, a small town that lies between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa....
 near Durban
Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
.

974 at the age of 18 he became an organiser for the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (South Africa)

The Progressive Party was a liberal South African party that opposed the ruling National Party policies of apartheid. For years its only member of Parliament of South Africa was Helen Suzman....
, one of the two opposition parties represented in parliament at the time.






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Anthony James Leon (born December 15, 1956) is a South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
n politician and the former leader of the Democratic Alliance
Democratic Alliance (South Africa)

The Democratic Alliance is a liberal parties South African political party, and the official opposition to the ruling African National Congress....
, South Africa's main opposition party and former leader of the opposition.

Biography


Early life

Leon grew up in South Africa in a Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish family during the apartheid era. He was educated at Kearsney College
Kearsney College

Kearsney College is an independent school boarding school for boys in Botha's Hill, a small town that lies between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa....
 near Durban
Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
.

Politics

In 1974 at the age of 18 he became an organiser for the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (South Africa)

The Progressive Party was a liberal South African party that opposed the ruling National Party policies of apartheid. For years its only member of Parliament of South Africa was Helen Suzman....
, one of the two opposition parties represented in parliament at the time. After this, he qualified as an attorney at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a leading South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University....
, where he was President of the Law Students' Council and Vice-President of the Students' Representative Council, and became a lecturer in the Law Department in 1986. In the same year he was elected to the Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
 City Council for Yeoville. When the results for the election were released, it was announced that his rival Bloomberg had won. However Harry Schwarz
Harry Schwarz

Harry Heinz Schwarz is a former leading South African anti-apartheid politician, diplomat, and jurist.Harry Schwarz's political career started with sitting on the Johannesburg city council from 1951-1957....
 uncovered that this was untrue, and Leon was declared the winner. He became leader of the opposition in the city council.

In 1989 he was elected to Parliament for the Houghton
Houghton Estate, Gauteng

Houghton Estate is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Part of it is located in Region 3 , the other part in Region 4 .Houghton was developed as a residential area around the turn of the 20th Century, primarily by Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Company ....
 constituency, representing the Progressive Party's successor, the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (South Africa)

The Democratic Party was the name of the South African political party now called the Democratic Alliance . Although the Democratic Party name dates from 1989, the party existed under other labels throughout the Apartheid years, when it was the Parliamentary opposition to the ruling National Party of South Africa's policies....
.

From 1990 to 1994 he chaired the DP's Bill of Rights
Bill of rights

A Bill of Rights is a list or summary of rights that are considered important and essential by a nation. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement by the government....
 Commission, and as such was an advisor to the Convention for a Democratic South Africa
Convention for a Democratic South Africa

The History of South Africa in the apartheid era system in South Africa was ended through a series of negotiations between 1990 and 1993 and through unilateral steps by the F.W....
 (CODESA) and a delegate to the multi-party negotiations that led to the end of apartheid and the establishment of a multi-party democracy in 1994.

At the 1994 general elections
South African general election, 1994

The South African general election of 1994 was a general election held in South Africa at the end of apartheid, therefore also the first held with universal suffrage....
, Leon was again elected to Parliament in the first democratic National Assembly, as well as leader of the Democratic Party. At the time, the Democratic Party was perceived as merely a minor party of white liberals
Liberalism

Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophy that considers individualism liberty and equality to be the most important political goals....
, an oddity in the first multiracial government of South Africa.

With the second democratic elections
South African general election, 1999

South Africa's second non-racial general election, held on 1999-06-02, was won by the African National Congress , who increased their number of seats by 14....
 in 1999 and the New National Party
New National Party (South Africa)

The New National Party was a South African conservative political party formed in 1997 when the National Party of South Africa pulled out of the Government of National Unity with the African National Congress and decided to change its name in the process....
 only retaining 28 seats (down from 82 in 1994), he became Leader of the Opposition as the DP took 38 seats.

After the 2004 general elections
South African general election, 2004

Legislative elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 april 2004. The African National Congress of President Thabo Mbeki, which has been in power since the end of the apartheid system in 1994, was re-elected with an increased majority....
, the Democratic Alliance under Leon had a vote increased by 2.8%, as did the ANC with an increase of 3.3%. These gains came at a cost to three of the five minor opposition parties, with only the Independent Democrats — a newcomer in the elections — also attracting support.

Leon built a high media profile as opposition leader by criticising the ANC government under Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first President of South Africa of South Africa to be elected in a universal suffrage democratic election, serving in the office from 1994?99....
 but more so under his successor, President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served almost two terms as the second democratically elected President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008....
, for their inabilities to properly deal with South Africa's problems of poverty
Poverty

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
, unemployment
Unemployment

File:World map of countries by rate of unemployment.pngUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work, but the person is without Wage labour....
 and the AIDS
AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
 epidemic.

Retirement

On November 26, 2006, Leon announced that he would step down from the leadership of the Democratic Alliance in 2007, and would not accept nomination for the leadership of the party at the party's congress in May 2007. Leon would, nevertheless, keep his seat in Parliament until 2009, when its term expires.

Leon retired as leader of the DA on 5 May 2007. He was succeeded by Helen Zille
Helen Zille

Helen Zille is the Mayor of Cape Town, leader of South Africa opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and candidate for Premier of the Western Cape in the South African general election, 2009....
 who was elected as the new party leader on 6 May 2007.

Leon was voted 16th in the TV channel SABC3's Top 100 Great South Africans
SABC3's Great South Africans

Great South Africans was a South African television series that aired on SABC3 and hosted by Noeleen Maholwana Sangqu and Denis Beckett. In September 2004, thousands of South Africans took part in an informal nationwide poll to determine the "100 Greatest South Africans" of all time....
. He became the first South African politician to record a podcast when his was launched during the 2006 local government election campaign.

From September to December 2007, Leon was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy school and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools....
.

On November 29th, 2007, Mr. Leon was a guest at the prestigious Yale Political Union
Yale Political Union

The Yale Political Union , a debate society that is the largest student organization at Yale University, was founded in 1934 by Professor Alfred Whitney Griswold , who would later become University President, to combat the apathy that characterized Yale's political culture in the 1930s....
, keynoting a student debate on the topic "Resolved: The Nation Should Not Be Tied To Ethnicity." After a vigorous debate, the motion passed.

Personal life

Leon is married (since 2000) to Michal (formerly Even-Zahav, Israeli born). His Personal Assistant, who has been working with him since he assumed the leadership of the opposition, is Sandy Slack.

In August 2008, Leon published his policial memoir - "On the contrary" published by Jonathan Ball.

External links