It turned out the 92-year-old, who has the distinction of being the world’s oldest, non-royal, leader, was simply in residence at his second home in Switzerland.
He says “third-termism” as he dubs some African leaders’ attempts to cling to power, “is a disease.”
NPR looks at some more of Africa’s oldest leaders.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea, 83 After Cameroon’s Biya, who beats him by only a few months, the longest-ruling leader in Africa is Obiang.
At the time Mugabe was 93 and had the title of the world’s oldest leader.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — In 1897, it was reported in a newspaper that the great American writer Mark Twain had passed away. Twain, who was still very much alive, famously remarked, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”. “..”.
A number of elderly African leaders have also had to deny early reports of their deaths this century. For example, Paul Biya of Cameroon had to deny demise rumors on social media last year after going a month without being seen in public.
The 92-year-old, who holds the title of oldest non-royal leader in the world, was actually just staying at his second home in Switzerland.
Having ruled Cameroon for forty-three years, he is running for an eighth term this Sunday, which experts say he is almost certain to win because his most formidable opponent was disqualified. His nation is plagued by problems like systemic corruption, a separatist movement, and jihadist violence.
Biya is by no means the only example in Africa, which has many gerontocracies despite having the youngest population in the world.
Paul Nantulya, an Africa analyst, says, “It is an irony for a continent whose median age is just 19.”. He refers to the attempts of certain African leaders to hold onto power as “third-termism” and claims that it is a disease. “.”.
NPR examines some of the oldest leaders in Africa.
Peter Mutharika, 85, Malawi.
Get rid of the old and bring in the new one. This is the outcome of last month’s vote in Malawi, a small democracy in southern Africa, which chose 85-year-old Peter Mutharika as their president instead of 70-year-old incumbent Lazarus Chakwera.
Malawians had had enough of the severe fuel shortages and growing prices.
Ivory Coast, 83, Alassane Ouattara.
On Oct. 25, Ouattara, a former International Monetary Fund economist, will run for a fourth term. Given that the constitution forbade leaders from seeking more than two terms, he declared in 2020 that he would not run again. Violent protests were sparked when Ouattara later amended the constitution to permit him to run again in spite of that pledge.
Former French colonial Ivory Coast, the world’s leading cocoa producer, is still bouncing back from a bloody civil war in the early 2000s.
Another round of protests has taken place this month in the lead-up to the elections, following the exclusion of two opposition leaders from running.
Equatorial Guinea, 83; Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
The longest-ruling leader in Africa is Obiang, who is only a few months ahead of Biya of Cameroon. He has ruled his nation for 43 years and is currently 83.
Only two presidents have led the petrostate on the west coast of Africa since it gained independence from Spain in the 1960s. In 1979, Obiang overthrew his own uncle in a coup.
Since Obiang typically receives more than 90% of the vote, international observers have long claimed that elections are faulty and that the nation is essentially a one-party state. In 2002, he even received 103 percent of the vote in one voting district.
In addition, Equatorial Guinea’s press freedom situation is dire and its human rights record is shocking. Despite the nation’s enormous oil wealth, Obiang enjoys mansions, superyachts, and fancy cars, while the average citizen has received little.
Obiang’s sanctions were recently lifted by the Trump administration, enabling him to attend the UN General Assembly in New York. He went to see U. A. Christopher Landau, the deputy secretary of state, and the two decided to deepen their relationship.
Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa Emmerson, 83.
After overthrowing his elderly predecessor, Robert Mugabe, in a 2017 coup, Mnangagwa, who was born only months after Obiang, was elected president of the Southern African country. Mugabe was 93 years old at the time, making him the oldest leader in history.
Zimbabweans hoped that Mnangagwa, who was 18 years Mugabe’s junior, would end corruption, restore the nation’s damaged economy, and permit free and fair elections. Eight years later, a lot of Zimbabweans claim that under the man they call “the crocodile,” things are getting worse. “..”.
emergence of Generation Z.
However, there are growing indications that Africa’s aging leaders may be nearing the end of their lives. So-called “Gen Z” protests have broken out this year in nations like Kenya, Togo, Madagascar, and Morocco, demonstrating how dissatisfied young Africans are with the status quo.
Young leaders are also becoming more prominent. Ibrahim Traoré, the 37-year-old acting president of Burkina Faso, is among the youngest in the world. He was brought to power in a coup in 2022, but the young people of the country adore him. Next year’s elections in Uganda will see 43-year-old pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine challenge 81-year-old incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who is running for a seventh term.
