Bonus List

COUNTRIES WITH THE LONGEST LASTING LEADERS/RULERS
Many countries around the world have a change of leader/ruler (usually a president or prime minister) about every 4 to 8 years. Some countries, usually those who are not democracies, have rulers lasting much longer. Below are the countries with the longest lasting rulers as of July 16, 2011 (note that this list could change fast; former #1 Cuba and Egypt would have dropped off this list in recent years).

COUNTRY
1. Brunei
2. Libya
3. Oman
4. Bahrain*
5. Yemen**
6. Equatorial Guinea
7. Angola
8. Zimbabwe***
9. Cameroon
10. Uganda

YEAR (LEADER)
1967 (Sultan/Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah)
1969 (Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi)
1970 (Sultan/Prime Minister Qaboos bin Said al-Said)
1971 (Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa*)
1978 (President Ali Abdullah Saleh**)
1979 (President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo)
1979 (President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos)
1980 (President Robert Mugabe***)
1982 (President Paul Biya)
1986 (President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni)

Note that there are some judgment calls; for example, King Phumiphon Adunyadet of Thailand has reigned since 1946, but the prime minister now is considered to have a greater role in government (and other, though not all, monarch figureheads are excluded from this list as well).

* King Hamad (chief of state) of Bahrain has only been in power since 1999, but the actual head of government, Prime Minister Khalifa has been in power since 1971 and is counted here.

** Includes time spent as president of North Yemen before unification with South Yemen in 1990.

*** Includes time as prime minister of Zimbabwe between 1980 and 1987.

Return to the bonus lists, to the chapters of the book or choose from...

Any questions about the website or specifically for Brandt? Please send them here.