List of presidents of Ethiopia

This is a list of presidents of Ethiopia and also a list of heads of state after the fall of the Ethiopian Empire in 1974.

Ethiopia
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Ethiopia

Until 1974, the heads of state of the Ethiopian Empire were either emperors or regents. From the coup d'état of the Derg leading to the fall of the empire in September 1974 until March 1975, the Derg considered the crown prince Asfaw Wossen (later regnal name Amha Selassie) as the king (not emperor) and the nominal head of state – which the crown prince refused to accept. During this time, the chairmen of the Derg, the leaders of the Derg, were to be considered as acting heads of state. On 21 March 1975, the Derg military junta abolished the monarchy and fully took over. Until the establishment of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1987, still dominated by Derg figures, chairmen of the Derg have to be considered heads of state – but not presidents. After the fall of the Derg and the establishment of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia in 1991, the first immediate president (Meles Zenawi) has to be considered an Interim President.

Since the formal establishment of the office of president in 1987, there have been 6 official presidents. The president is the head of state of Ethiopia. The current president is Sahle-Work Zewde, who is also the first female president of Ethiopia, elected on 25 October 2018 by members of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly.

List of officeholders

In the list, the chairmen of the Derg are considered to be heads of state – but are not considered to be president. Consequently, the numbering starts with the first establishment of the office of the president of Ethiopia in 1987.

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Elected Term of office Party
(Coalition)
Took office Left office Time in office
• Derg (Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia) (1974–1987) •
– Lieutenant general
Aman Mikael Andom
(1924–1974)
Acting Head of State		 — 12 September 1974 17 November 1974
(Resigned)		 66 days Military
– Major
Mengistu Haile Mariam
(born 1937)
Acting Head of State		 — 17 November 1974 28 November 1974 11 days Military
Brigadier general
Tafari Benti
(1921–1977)		 — 28 November 1974 3 February 1977† 2 years, 67 days Military
Major
Mengistu Haile Mariam
(born 1937)		 — 3 February 1977 10 September 1987 10 years, 219 days Military
COPWE
WPE
• People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1987–1991) •
1 Mengistu Haile Mariam
(born 1937)		 1987 10 September 1987 21 May 1991
(Resigned)		 3 years, 253 days WPE
– Tesfaye Gebre Kidan
(1935–2004)
Acting		 — 21 May 1991 27 May 1991
(Deposed)		 6 days WPE
• Transitional Government of Ethiopia (1991–1995) •
– Meles Zenawi
(1955–2012)
Interim		 — 28 May 1991 22 August 1995 4 years, 86 days TPLF
(EPRDF)
• Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1995–present) •
2 Negasso Gidada
(1943–2019)		 1995 22 August 1995 8 October 2001 6 years, 47 days ODP
(EPRDF)
Independent[lower-alpha 1]
3 Girma Wolde-Giorgis
(1924–2018)		 2001
2007		 8 October 2001 7 October 2013 11 years, 364 days Independent
4 Mulatu Teshome
(born 1957)		 2013 7 October 2013 25 October 2018 5 years, 18 days ODP
(EPRDF)
5 Sahle-Work Zewde
(born 1950)		 2018 25 October 2018 Incumbent 1 year, 296 days Independent

See also

Notes
  1. Expelled from both the ODP party and the EPRDF coalition on 22 June 2001.[1]

References
  1. "ETHIOPIA: President expelled from ruling party", IRIN, 25 June 2001.
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