Photos and bios of the current Heads of State, Dictators and First Ladies
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan A member of the Samarkand clan, he was considered to be one of the leading potential successors to Islam Karimov as President of Uzbekistan. Mirziyoyev was reported to have friendly relations with Karimov’s wife, Tatyana Karimova, and National Security Council chairman Rustam Inoyatov. Some outside observers expressed concern about...Read More »
Daniel Ortega Saavedra, President of Nicaragua (re-elected on Nov 6, 2016 with 72.5% of the vote) Born in La Libertad, Nicaragua, on November 11, 1945, to middle-class parents who were actively opposed to Nicaragua’s dictator, Anastasio Somoza, Ortega was first arrested for his political activities at the age of 15. During the early 1960s, after...Read More »
Albert-Bernard Bongo, President of Gabon (Re-elected on Aug 27, 2016 with 50.7% of the vote; turnout 60%) Born Albert-Bernard Bongo, December 30, 1935, in Lewai, Franceville, Gabon; given name changed to El Hadj Omar in 1973. Married first wife, divorced 1988; married Edith Lucie Sassou-Nguesso, 1990; children: Ali (son). Religion: Muslim. Military/Wartime Service: Gabonese Air...Read More »
Brahim Ghali, President of Western Sahara* Brahim Ghali (born 16 September 1948) is the current president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and former SADR Ambassador to Algeria. Ghali has served as an historic figure and played a key role in the struggle of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and independence from Morocco. He...Read More »
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea (re-elected on Apr 24, 2016 with 93.7% of the vote; turnout is 93%) Date of Birth : 5th June 1942 Place of birth : Akoakam-Esangui, district of MONGOMO. Father : Nguema Eneme Obama Mother : Mbasogo Ngui He Excellency Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is the third child...Read More »
Bounnhang Vorachith, President of Laos (elected on Apr 19, 2016) Bounnhang Vorachith (born August 15, 1938) is a Laotian politician who has been General Secretary (de facto leader) of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos ( de jure head of state) since 2016. Previously he served as Deputy Prime Minister from...Read More »
Idriss Deby, President of Chad (re-elected on Apr 10, 2016 with 61.6% of the vote; Turnout is 76.1%) Born in 1952, in Fada, Ennedi, Chad; son of a shepherd; married, four wives; children: ten. Education: Military officers’ academy in Chad, attended; L’Institut Aeronautique Amaury de la Grange, pilot’s license, 1976. Politics: Patriotic Movement of...Read More »
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti (re-elected on Apr 8, 2018 with 87% of the vote) Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (born November 27, 1947 in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia) is the second president of Djibouti. He succeeded his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999. Background In the late 1960s, Guelleh migrated to Djibouti before finishing high...Read More »
Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Congo (Brazzaville) Has been President since 1997. Re-elected on March 20, 2016 with 60.4% of the vote. Turnout: 71%. Denis Sassou Nguesso (born 1943) is a Congolese politician who has been the President of the Republic of the Congo since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992....Read More »
