Jose Eduardo dos Santos (Angola) — 37 years
Age: 74
In power since: September 1979, when he was elected the ruling party’s leader upon the previous president’s death.
Current election rules: Under terms of a constitution approved in 2010, the leader of the party that wins a popular parliamentary vote is president for five years. Dos Santos’ party won elections in 2012, so under the new rules, he started the first of a possible two terms. The election was Angola’s third since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975, as it was often wracked by civil war.
