Not all nations are free and democratic. Indeed, many are ruled by tyrannical strongmen. While not all dictators are equally bad, there is a reason the term carries such a nasty tone. This is partly why their rule is often cut short – usually by popular uprising or coup d’etat. But what about those tyrants who manage to cling onto power? And who are the longest ruling dictators of all time? Well it turns out some of the longest ruling dictators are still in power today, having controlled their nations for several decade. Think of all the changes their regime has been able to survive through – the rise of the internet, globalization, the countless wars and trends. It’s actually quite impressive. Here are the longest ruling dictators and their stories.
10: Nicolae Ceaușescu – 24 Years
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian communist leader who served as the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 until 1989. He was also Romania’s head of state from 1967 onwards, the nation formerly being a monarchy. He implemented policies of great repression and censorship. All the while he lived a lavish lifestyle only corrupt politicians were able to enjoy in the eastern block. Through his premiership, Romania suffered poverty and lack of freedom. Like other communist dictators he built a cult of personality which presented him as a heroic figure. His policies restricted freedom of speech, press and even religion. They forced innocent citizens into hard labor and collective farming. That alone would be terrible. But it accompanied food shortages and a decline in the standard of living. Ethnic minorities – like the Hungarian peoples living in Transylvania – were harshly persecuted.
He also allowed the forced eviction of people from their homes to make way for large-scale construction projects. So needless to say, he was not well loved by those he ruled over. In December of 1989 the people of Romania rose up against Ceaușescu’s regime. Soon he was captured and put on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He and his wife were found guilty and executed by firing squad on Christmas day. His downfall was a result of growing public outrage and a lack of support for the Communist party. Despite the internet not quite taking hold yet, the flow of information could not be held back entirely. People knew the quality of life was better in the capitalist west. The dream of communism was over, ushering in a new era of Romanian history.
9: Hosni Mubarak – 30 years
Hosni Mubarak was the leader who ruled Egypt from 1981 until 2011. He took power all the way back in 1981 following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. So he was in charge for 30 long years. Mubarak began as an air force officer and member of the National Democratic Party. His policies that aimed primarily to stimulate economic growth, modernization much of the economy. Yet these policies mainly benefited the upper classes, leaving the majority of Egyptians in horrid poverty. Like all of the longest ruling dictators, Mubarak was paranoid and obsessive in his will to keep hold of power. Crushing opposition groups and isolating human rights groups was practically a hobby of his.
Mubarak was corrupt and cruel, making liberal use of torture and extrajudicial killings. What’s interesting is that he also harshly suppressed Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood. But the long term effect of such was that the only Islamist groups willing to speak out were the most extreme. Then in 2011 a wave of popular uprisings swept through the middle east. Egypt’s Revolution began as they all did, with popular protests against corruption. When the government predictably responded with violence, his people responded in kind. Soon he was forced to step down from power, after 18 days of protests. Mubarak was arrested and put on trial for obvious reasons. What followed was a lengthy legal proceeding, resulting in convictions and acquittals accordingly.
8: Omar al-Bashir – 30 Years
Omar al-Bashir made international headlines in 2019, when a coup d’état saw him lose power. But the most amazing part is he had ruled over the state of Sudan since 1989. In those days Sudan was the largest country in Africa, covering 8 percent of the continent’s total landmass. But his time in office would see the country split into two. A long a brutal civil war eventually resulted in South Sudan gaining independence in 2011. But this came only after more than a million people died. Having previously been a general in the Sudanese army, losing the war was a terrible blow to his cult of personality. But for some reason there were few challenges to his grip on the country. The war actually ended 14 years before he was finally ousted. He is currently on trial for various crimes.
7: Yoweri Museveni – 37 Years
Yoweri Museveni was a key player in the power struggle that saw the infamous dictator Idi Amin removed from power. Continuing to be a high ranking military general thereafter, he overthrew the president who succeeded Amin, installing himself as leader. Since that day in 1986 he has ruled Uganda with an iron fist. Much more liberal than Amin, Museveni has built a mixed regime. In short, he uses a mix of elements typically associated with democracies and dictatorships. This gives him the best of both worlds, seeing the economy grow while also maintaining total control of Uganda. Yet Uganda remains a poor nation and many believe the system needs to liberalize further. With Yoweri Museveni being almost 80 years old he could chose to retire at any moment.
6: Hun Sen – 38 Years
People in the west often know little about Cambodia. So it may or may not surprise you to learn it’s a dictatorship. Since 1985 Hun Sen has been the man in charge. Like Museveneni he came to power through the military. And like Museveni his rule is overshadowed by the infamy of a previous dictatorship. Joining the Khmer Rouge in 1970, he fought in the civil war that would see them take over Cambodia in 1975. Having bet on the right horse, and distinguished himself in battle, he was made foreign minister at the age of just 26. Surviving the Cambodian genocide and the fall of Pol Pot, he was somehow able to remain a political heavyweight. No longer a communist, he was shifted ideology like a chameleon and overseen rapid economic growth for Cambodia.
5: Muammar Gaddafi – 42 Years
Muammar Gaddafi is not only one of the longest ruling dictators in history, but one of the most flamboyant ones. Famous for his eccentricity, the people of Libya found him less amusing. His cult of personality and violations of human rights saw to that. Yet Gaddafi often paid more attention to other countries than his own. Seeing himself as a great idealogical thinker, he funded rebel groups in foreign nations. This saw Gaddafi become an international pariah, isolating Libya. This played into the hands of NATO when in 2011 they helped rebels within Libya rise up and overthrow the government.
But for a long time the people of Libya were relatively pleased with them. Libya has around 2 percent of the world’s oil supply. While most dictators would keep this wealth for themselves, Gaddafi spent much of it on the people. Libyan’s had free education and medical care. This saw the literacy rate rise from 25% to 87%. Even electricity was free. This helps explain how he was able to become one of the longest ruling dictators. In other words you get more with honey than vinegar. It is ironic, then, that Libya seems to be in such a comparatively bad position now.
4: Denis Sassou Nguesso – 44 Years
Denis Sassou Nguesso is the current president of the Republic of the Congo. That is not to be confused with it’s much larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both are named after the Congo river. Despite the names, neither nation is a democracy. This smaller country is much more stable though – partly due to it having less natural resources to fight over. This is a major factor in Denis Sassou Nguesso being able to remain leader for 44 years. Rumour has it he is planning on establishing a dynasty, with one of his children succeeding him. But with his son being notorious for his luxury lifestyle, his more serious sister is expected to be next in line. Funnily enough, he nickname is Emperor. So maybe there is something to this idea of a dynasty.
3: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – 44 Years
The second longest serving president still in office today, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been a world leader since 1979. In that year he assumed the leadership of Equatorial Guinea, a tiny nation dwarfed by it’s neighbours in west Africa. The only country in Africa where Spanish is spoken, Equatorial Guinea is and has always been extremely poor. But one of the main reasons behind this poverty is corruption – a charge Teodoro has repeatedly been accused of. Before him, the country was led by his uncle. But in 1979 Teodoro violently deposed his uncle via a military coup. Owing his position as a liutenant to his uncle, he would repay the debt by having him imprisoned and executed. Ever since, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been in charge.
2: Paul Biya – 48 Years
Say what you like about Paul Biya, he’s no fool. How else could he stay in power for so long. The only living of the longest ruling dictators to rank this highly, he has been a leader since 1975. Cameroon is a one party state so there are few major threats to his regime. France also heavily supports Biya so any uprising would likely be crushed. Many believe Paul Biya will die in office. He is currently 90 years old and has kept the country relatively stable for the past few decades. Many Cameroonians see corruption and repression as a fair price for that stability.
1: Fidel Castro – 49 Years
Fidel Castro is one of the most iconic political figures from history. Idealised by young radicals and deplored by establishment elders, his legacy will forever by controversial. Leading the revolution which overthrew previous dictator Fulgencio Batista, Castro shocked the world when he declared Cuba a communist state. Never until that point did the US government think the cold war would enter their back yard. So the CIA grew desperate to kill Fidel Castro. They actually tried to assassinate him more than 600 times! Luckily for Castro each and every one of those attempts failed. Fidel Castro would die of natural causes in 2016, at the age of 90. He ruled Cuba for almost 50 years and his political allies are still in power.