One of the longest serving elected heads of state in the world, President of Cameroon Paul Biya has already done 42 years and 138 days in the job (hereinafter: * - taking into account the tenure of the Prime Minister; deadline calculated by The Wall Street Journal on 11/15/2017). This is the longest term in the world. In all the presidential elections he won with a significant preponderance of votes, 70-90%, with the exception of 1992, when he scored 39.98%. Today the President of Cameroon is 84 years old.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been ruling Equatorial Guinea 38 years and 104 day. He came to power in 1979 as a result of a military coup, having toppled the country's lifetime president - his uncle. Numerous relatives of the president and his wife occupy the highest state positions. In the presidential elections, which have been held since 1996, Nguema Mbasogo receives 97-98% of the vote. Today he is 75 years old.

Robert Mugabe today is 93 years old, he has been heading Zimbabwe for 37 years and 211 days* (first seven years as prime minister, then president) since 1980. On the morning of November 15, Robert Mugabe and his wife were placed under house arrest by the militaries. Nevertheless, the president of Zimbabwe said that he was not going to resign. He won all the elections for the post of head of state, although in 2003 and 2008, when he was opposed by strong opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the results were rigged.

Ali Khamenei has been at the helm of Iran for 36 years and 33 days. In 1981-1989 he had been serving as the elected president, and since June 3, 1989 - the highest leader of the country (elected by the council of experts consisting of influential theologians). The president runs the country on a daily basis but is accountable to the leader of the country. Today Khamenei is 78 years old.

Nursultan Nazarbayev has been ruling Kazakhstan for 33 years and 238 days*. During this long period, the nature of the country has changed. At first, it was one of the USSR's republics, where Nazarbayev became chairman of the Council of Ministers in 1984, then in 1989 - first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, and in 1990 - president of the Kazakh SSR. In 1991, Nazarbayev became the president of an independent Kazakhstan, in 2010 he was awarded the title of the "Leader of the Nation". Today Nazarbayev is 77 years old.

73-year-old Denis Sassou-Nguesso has been running Congo for 33 years and 225 days. Although with breaks. Since 1979, he had pursued a Marxist-Leninist policy, but in 1989 he initiated reforms, began the transition to multi-party democracy and a market economy. In 1992, Sassou-Nguesso lost the election but managed to return to power five years after the civil war. He won in the presidential elections of 2002 and 2009 with a significant preponderance of votes, 90% and 78%, respectively.

The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, has been in power for a total of 32 years and 305 days*. At first he was the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. Then, in 1989, the State of Cambodia was created and he has become the Prime Minister of it, winning with his party in the parliamentary elections. Today the leader of Cambodia is 65 years old.

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been ruling Uganda since 1986 after winning the Civil War. In the elections, he gets 57-76% of the vote, but the opposition is constantly talking about violations. The 73-year-old leader has been in power for 31 years and 293 days.

Omar al-Bashir has been in charge of Sudan for 28 years and 138 days, since 1989. He came to power in the result of a military coup. In 2008, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on charges of genocide during the conflict in Darfur. In the presidential elections, he wins, gaining from 68 to 86%, although the opposition sometimes boycotts them. Today the leader of Sudan is 73 years old.

65-year-old Idriss Deby has been President of Chad for the fifth time. Before heading the country, he participated in a military confrontation with the government, he repeatedly had to fight with the insurgents as president. He has been running the country for 26 years and 348 days. At the last elections, he received 61.5% of votes.