President Robert Mugabe yesterday officially became the third longest serving non-royal ruler in the world replacing Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos who stepped down to give way to Joao Lourenco.
Zimbabwe Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko attended Lourenco’s swearing in ceremony yesterday.
Dos Santos had been in power for 38 years.
Cameroon President Paul Biya is the longest serving and has been in power since 30 June 1975, first as Prime Minister and then as President.
In second place is Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea who came into power on 3 August 1979.
Mugabe became Prime Minister on 18 April 1980 and President on 1 January 1988.
Others who have been in power for more than 30 years are Ali Khamenei of Iran (35 years, 348 days); Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan (33 years, 188 days); Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo (33 years, 176 days); Hun Sen of Cambodia (32 years, 255 days); and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (31 years, 243 days).
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