Current rulers longest-time in office

Current Rulers Longest-time in Office
(tenures beginning in the 20th Century,
i.e., before Jan 1, 2001)

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Next are listed the oldest office-holders (heads of State or Government) amid the worldwide leadership, beginning tenure from Jan 1, 2001 backwards, i.e., in the 20th century. Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

rank ruler office country term add. notes

1 Bhumibol Adulyadej King Thailand 9 Jun 1946

2 Elizabeth II Queen United Kingdom 6 Feb 1952

3 Muda Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan Brunei 5 Oct 1967 (1)

4 Khalifah ibn Salman Al Khalifah Prime Minister Bahrain 19 Jan 1970 (2)

5 Qaboos ibn Said Al Bu Saidi Sultan Oman 23 Jul 1970 (3)

6 Margrethe II Queen Denmark 14 Jan 1972

7 Carl XVI Gustaf King Sweden 19 Sep 1973

8 Juan Carlos I King Spain 22 Nov 1975

9 Ali Abdullah Saleh President Yemen 18 Jul 1978 (4)

10 Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo President Equatorial Guinea 3 Aug 1979 (5)

11 José Eduardo dos Santos President Angola 21 Sep 1979

12 Robert Mugabe President Zimbabwe 18 Apr 1980 (6)

13 Beatrix Queen Netherlands 30 Apr 1980

14 Paul Biya President Cameroon 6 Nov 1982

15 Hun Sen Prime Minister Cambodia 14 Jan 1985 (7)

16 Yoweri Museveni President Uganda 29 Jan 1986

17 Mswati III King Swaziland 25 Apr 1986

18 Blaise Compaoré President Burkina Faso 15 Oct 1987 (8)

19 Akihito Emperor Japan 7 Jan 1989

20 Mohammad Ali Khamenei "Leader" (Rahbar) Iran 4 Jun 1989

21 `Umar al-Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir President Sudan 30 Jun 1989 (9)

22 Hans Adam II Sovereign Prince Liechtenstein 13 Nov 1989

23 Idriss Déby President Chad 2 Dec 1990 (10)

24 Harald V King Norway 17 Jan 1991

25 Meles Zenawi Prime Minister Ethiopia 27 May 1991 (11)

26 Islam Karimov President Uzbekistan 31 Aug 1991 (12)

27 Nursultan Nazarbayev President Kazakhstan 16 Dec 1991 (13)

28 Imomali Rakhmonov President Tajikistan 19 Nov 1992 (14)

29 Issayas Afeworki President Eritrea 24 May 1993

30 Albert II King Belgium 9 Aug 1993

31 Alyaksandr Lukashenka President Belarus 20 Jul 1994

32 Yahya Jammeh President Gambia 22 Jul 1994 (15)

33 Jean-Claude Juncker Prime Minister Luxembourg 20 Jan 1995

34 Hamad ibn Khalifah Al Thani Emir Qatar 27 Jun 1995 (16)

35 Denzil Douglas Prime Minister Saint Kitts and Nevis 7 Jul 1995

36 Letsie III King Lesotho 7 Feb 1996 (17)

37 Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson President Iceland 1 Aug 1996

38 Denis Sassou Nguesso President Congo-Brazzaville 25 Oct 1997

39 Pakalitha Mosisili Prime Minister Lesotho 29 May 1998

40 Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi Prime Minister Samoa 23 Nov 1998

41 Hugo Chávez Frías President Venezuela 2 Feb 1999 (18)

42 Abdallah II King Jordan 7 Feb 1999 (19)

43 Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah King Bahrain 6 Mar 1999 (20)

44 Abdelaziz Bouteflika President Algeria 27 Apr 1999

45 Ismail Omar Guelleh President Djibouti 8 May 1999

46 Mohammed VI King Morocco 23 Jul 1999

47 Samuel Hinds Prime Minister Guyana 11 Aug 1999

48 Akil Akilov Prime Minister Tajikistan 20 Dec 1999

49 Tarja Halonen President Finland 1 Mar 2000

50 Paul Kagame President Rwanda 24 Mar 2000

51 Abdoulaye Wade President Senegal 1 Apr 2000

52 Bashar al-Assad President Syria 17 Jul 2000

53 Henri Grand Duke Luxembourg 7 Oct 2000

(1) Also Prime Minister from 1 Jan 1984.
(2) Prime Minister of an independent State only from 15 Aug 1971.
(3) Also Prime Minister from 2 Jan 1972.
(4) Ali Abdullah Saleh served as president of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) in 1978-1990 and of the unified Republic of Yemen from 22 May 1990.
(5) Head of State styled chairman of the Supreme Military Council (military junta) to 12 Oct 1982; on that date, inaugurated as president of the Republic.
(6) Robert Mugabe ruled as Prime Minister to 31 Dec 1987, and as President of the Republic since then.
(7) Hun Sen ruled as sole Prime Minister in 1985-1993, as co-Prime Minister with Norodom Ranaridh in 1993, as second deputy Prime Minister in 1993-1998 and again as sole prime minister since 30 Nov 1998.
(8) Head of State styled chairman of the Popular Front (military junta) to 24 Dec 1991; on that date, inaugurated as president of the Republic.
(9) Head of State styled chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council of National Salvation (military junta) to 16 Oct 1993 ; on that date, inaugurated as president of the Republic.
(10) Styled head of State to 4 Mar 1991.
(11) Meles Zenawi Ruled as president of the Provisional Government, acting as head of the State, to 22 Aug 1995; ruling as prime minister since then.
(12) Islam Karimov ruled the late Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic from 23 Jun 1989 as general secretary of the Uzbek Communist Party and from 24 Mar 1990 as president of the Republic. The independence was declared on 31 Aug 1991, effective upon dissolution of the USSR on 25 Dec 1991.
(13) Nursultan Nazarbayev ruled the late Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic from 22 Feb 1990 as chairman of the republican Supreme Soviet and from 24 Apr 1990 as president of the Republic. The independence was declared on 16 Dec 1991, effective upon dissolution of the USSR on 25 Dec 1991.
(14) Imomali Rakhmonov ruled as the head of the State being the chairman of the Supreme Council from 19 Nov 1992 to 16 Nov 1994 (in acting capacity to 27 Nov 1992). Assumed the post of president of Republic on 16 Nov 1994.
(15) Styled chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (military junta) to 26 Jul 1994 and head of State from that date to 18 Oct 1996; inaugurated as president of the Republic on 18 Oct 1996.
(16) Also Prime Minister to 29 Oct 1996.
(17) Second kingdom. Also reigned from 12 Nov 1990 to 25 Jan 1995.
(18) Chávez was deposed in a coup d'etat staged on 12 Apr 2002; two days later, on 14 Apr, he was restored to power.
(19) Then Crown Prince Abdallah acted as regent for his incapacitated father, King Hussein, from 6 Feb 1999; one day later, Hussein passed away and his son became the new king.
(20) Sheikh Hamad ruled the country with the title of Emir to 14 Feb 2002, when became a constitutional king.