Passion or Profession: president

Period: 1942–

As a young man, dos Santos joined the liberation army of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and studied in the Soviet Union. When Agostinho Neto died in 1979, dos Santos succeeded him as president. He signed peace agreements with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), though these failed to end the nation’s civil war. When peace was finally achieved in 2002, dos Santos continued to lead Angola in preparation for new elections.