Know about 10 such top leaders, who have been in power for a long time

Presidential elections are going to be held in Russia in March next year. In such a situation, Vladimir Putin has decided to contest the elections once again. If he wins the elections, he will remain on the post of President till 2030.

He has been in power since 1999. Putin has served as the country's president longer than any other Russian ruler since Joseph Stalin. At the same time, the Russian President is one of the 10 longest-serving elected leaders in the world.

And today we are going to tell you about 10 such top leaders, who have been in power for a long time.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema:

81-year-old Teodoro Obiang Nguema came to power in a coup in the West African state of Equatorial Guinea in 1979, just a decade before the collapse of the Soviet Union. He has been in power for 44 years. Under their repressive rule, Equatorial Guinea became known as the 'North Korea of Africa'.

Paul Biya:

Cameroon's President Paul Biya is currently 90 years old and has been ruling the West African country since November 1982. It is said that it is not easy to understand Biya's nature. For this reason, the oldest leader who has been in power for 41 years is also known by the name The Sphinx. Despite being surrounded by allegations of fraud, it won the 2018 elections for the seventh consecutive time.

Denis Sassou Nguesso:

Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville. Denis Sassou Nguesso, 80, has spent 39 years at the helm of the country in Central Africa. He was president from 1979 to 1992, then returned in 1997 after the civil war and has remained in power ever since.

Yoweri Museveni:

Uganda's 79-year-old President Yoweri Museveni has led the Central African country for 37 years. Elections were held in the year 2021 and he was re-elected for the sixth term.

Emomali Rahmon:

Emomali Rahman, 71, came to power shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. He has maintained a firm grip on his poor, mountainous country for 31 years.

Isaias Afwerki:

Former rebel leader Isaias Afwerki, 77, has been in power for 30 years. He has been the President of the African nation of Eritrea since it gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

Alexander Lukashenko:

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Putin, has used Soviet-style repression to remain in power in neighboring Ukraine for 29 years. He is currently 69 years old.

Ismail Omar Guelleh:

Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh was elected for a fifth term in 2021. 76-year-old Guleh has been the country's leader for 24 years.

Vladimir Putin:

71-year-old Putin has been in power since December 1999. He became acting president in December 1999. After this, he remained in power for two terms from 2000 to 2008. Then swapped jobs with his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in order to circumvent rules limiting consecutive presidential mandates to two, only to reclaim the role of Kremlin leader in 2012.

Term limits would have disqualified Putin from standing in the next election, but a controversial constitutional reform in 2020 paved the way for him to remain in power until at least 2036.

On December 31, 1999, Yeltsin resigned from the post of President. After him Putin became the acting President. On March 26, 2000, Putin won his first presidential election. In March 2004, Putin was elected president for the second time. He got more than 70 percent of the votes. The Russian Constitution of 1993 says that no person can remain president for two consecutive terms. Therefore, Putin had to step down in 2008.

Putin declared Dmitry Medvedev his successor and became prime minister himself. Under Medvedev's government, amendments were made to the Constitution and it was decided that the term of the President would now be six years instead of four years. Since Putin had been the Prime Minister, he was elected President of Russia for the third time in 2012. In March 2018, Putin became president for the fourth time. Putin got more than 75 percent of the votes in the 2018 elections. In July 2020, Putin brought a constitutional amendment. This gave him the strength to remain President till 2036.

Paul Kagame:

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is a former Tutsi rebel leader who ended the genocide of the Tutsis in 1994. Young has been President of the Central African Republic since April 2000.