5. Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia.
Age 81. In power since 1995.
Last year's rank: 5

Bending under strong international pressure, Crown Prince Abdullah and his family, who have absolute power, are holding Saudi Arabia's first elections in 40 years--municipal elections, that is. Women may not vote or run for office, owing to "technical difficulties": Most Saudi women don't have the photo IDs needed to register; there aren't enough female officials to register those who do; and men may not register women, because the sexes are forbidden to mingle in public. Worldwide, the royal family promotes an extreme form of Islam called Wahhabism, which considers all followers of other religions--even other Muslims--"infidels." In 2004, the U.S. State Department added Saudi Arabia to its list of nations in which religious liberty is severely violated.