Bashar Al-Assad tops CNN Intl users’ list of people who mattered in 2012
10. Aung San Suu Kyi —
As part of our end of year coverage, CNN.com International asked users to vote for the people who they thought defined 2012. More than 24,000 of you ranked your top 10 newsmakers from a shortlist of 20 chosen by CNN.com International journalists. The scores were calculated on a weighted basis -- each "#1" vote awarded 15 points to the candidate. Each "#10" vote awarded 1 point. Here are your top 10 people of 2012, from 10 to one:
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9. Alan Oliveira —
9. Alan Oliveira
Brazilian Paralympic athlete Oliveira became the surprise 200m gold medalist at London 2012 after beating favorite South African Oscar Pistorius, the world's most famous "blade runner."
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8. Francesco Schettino —
8. Francesco Schettino
Captain of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, killing 32 people. The ship, carrying 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members, turned on its side after striking rocks close to the Italian island of Giglio.
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7. Psy —
7. Psy
Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
6. Malala Yousafzai —
6. Malala Yousafzai
5. Joseph Kony —
5. Joseph Kony
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4. Xi Jinping —
4. Xi Jinping
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3. Bo Xilai —
3. Bo Xilai
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2. Mohamed Morsy —
2. Mohamed Morsy
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1. Bashar Al-Assad —
1. Bashar Al-AssadHe remains president of Syria despite a bloody civil war, which began as an uprising in March 2011 and has now claimed at least 20,000 lives and left 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.