Some African rulers will rather die hanging onto power than to hand over to someone else. Some have been ruling for over 30years & have refused to step down. Some have tried to change the constitution to extend their stay in power while some others have been forced to step down due to uprising.
Only a few African leaders cede power voluntarily or resist the temptation to change constitution to allow them to contest again.
Just recently, 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron won the French election making him France’s youngest leader since the famed French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who took power at age 35.
Some of African leaders came into power when Macron was only two years old and they are still holding on to power.
We compile a list of some African leaders who have been in power since Macron was still learning how to walk and talk.
1. Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo
He came into power when Macron was just two years old. Born on November 23, 1943, this Congolese politician was president from 1979 to 1992. He returned to power in 1997. He contested again in the 2002 presidential election and won. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election. The introduction of a new constitution, passed by referendum in 2015, enabled him to stand for another term and he was once again re-elected in the 2016 presidential election.
Discussion about this post