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List of presidents of Ethiopia facts for kids

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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.

Until the Ethiopian Revolution of 1974, the heads of state of Ethiopia 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 8 official presidents. The president is the head of state of Ethiopia. The current president is Taye Atske Selassie, elected on 7 October 2024 by members of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly.

List

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)
Term of office Party
(Coalition)
Elected
Took office Left office Time in office
Flag of Ethiopia (1975–1987) (02).svgDerg (Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia) (1974–1987) • Emblem of the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia.svg
Aman andom.png Lieutenant general
Aman Mikael Andom
(1924–1974)
Acting Head of State
15 September 1974 17 November 1974
(Resigned)
63 days Military
Mengistu Haile Mariam 3.jpg Major
Mengistu Haile Mariam
(born 1937)
Acting Head of State
17 November 1974 28 November 1974 11 days Military
Tafari Benti (cropped).gif Brigadier general
Tafari Benti
(1921–1977)
28 November 1974 3 February 1977† 2 years, 67 days Military
Mengistu Haile Mariam 3.jpg Lieutenant colonel
Mengistu Haile Mariam
(born 1937)
3 February 1977 10 September 1987 10 years, 219 days Military
COPWE
WPE
Flag of Ethiopia (1987-1991).svgPeople's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1987–1991) • Emblem of the Peoples' Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.svg
1 Mengistu Haile Mariam 3.jpg Mengistu Haile Mariam
(born 1937)
10 September 1987 21 May 1991
(Resigned)
3 years, 253 days WPE 1987
Tesfaye Gebre Kidan.jpg Tesfaye Gebre Kidan
(1935–2004)
Acting
21 May 1991 27 May 1991
(Deposed)
6 days WPE
Flag of Ethiopia (1991-1996).svgTransitional Government of Ethiopia (1991–1995) • Emblem of Transitional Government of Ethiopia.svg
Meles Zenawi - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012.jpg Meles Zenawi
(1955–2012)
Interim
28 May 1991 22 August 1995 4 years, 86 days TPLF
(EPRDF)
Flag of Ethiopia.svgFederal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1995–present) • Emblem of Ethiopia.svg
2 No image.png Negasso Gidada
(1943–2019)
22 August 1995 8 October 2001 6 years, 47 days ODP
(EPRDF)
Independent
1995
3 The Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Agriculture, Shri Kantilal Bhuria with the President of Ethiopia, Mr. Girma Woldegiorgis during his visit to Ethiopia on November 08, 2006 (cropped).jpg Girma Wolde-Giorgis
(1924–2018)
8 October 2001 7 October 2013 11 years, 364 days Independent 2001
2007
4 Mulatu Teshome in Warsaw - 2018 (40792938585) (cropped).jpg Mulatu Teshome
(born 1957)
7 October 2013 25 October 2018 5 years, 18 days ODP
(EPRDF)
2013
5 Sahle-Work Zewde in 2016.jpg Sahle-Work Zewde
(born 1950)
25 October 2018 7 October 2024 5 years, 348 days Independent 2018
6 Taye Atske Selassie MFA Portrait.jpg Taye Atske Selassie
(born 1956)
7 October 2024 Incumbent 79 days Independent 2024

Timeline

Taye Atske Selassie Sahle-Work Zewde Mulatu Teshome Girma Wolde-Giorgis Negasso Gidada Meles Zenawi Tesfaye Gebre Kidan Tafari Benti Mengistu Haile Mariam Aman Andom

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Presidente de Etiopía para niños

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