Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos will mark his 30th year in power Monday, making him one of Africa's longest-serving rulers.
The 67-year-old leader came to power in 1979 after the death of Angola's founding president, Agostinho Neto.
Mr. dos Santos' party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, has governed the country since independence from Portugal in 1975. But he has been criticized by opposition and human rights groups that accuse him of deliberately delaying presidential polls this year amid disputes over a new constitution.
The president narrowly won Angola's last - and only - presidential vote in 1992. But the controversial poll re-ignited a civil war that lasted until 2002.
Mr. dos Santos has proposed having the president elected by parliament rather than the voters, a move criticized by outside powers.
Angola is Africa's top oil-producing nation.
Some information for this report provided by AFP.