| Post: | President |
| Body: | the Central African Republic |
| Native Name: | French: Président de la<br />République centrafricaine |
| Insignia: | Standard of the President of Central Africa.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 125px |
| Insigniacaption: | Presidential standard |
| Incumbent: | Faustin-Archange Touadéra |
| Incumbentsince: | 30 March 2016 |
| Residence: | Renaissance Palace, Bangui |
| Seat: | Bangui |
| Termlength: | Seven years, unlimited terms |
| Formation: | 12 December 1960 21 September 1979 |
| Inaugural: | David Dacko |
| Salary: | EUR €3,049 per month[1] |
This article lists the heads of state of the Central African Republic. There have been seven heads of state of the Central African Republic and the Central African Empire since independence was obtained from the French on 13 August 1960. This list includes not only those persons who were sworn into office as President of the Central African Republic but also those who served as de facto heads of state.
Jean-Bédel Bokassa served as a de facto head of state (and also reigned as Emperor from 1976 to 1979), while David Dacko (who served as de facto head of state from 1979 to 1981), André Kolingba, Ange-Félix Patassé, and François Bozizé were elected into office at some point during their tenure. To date, Kolingba is the only former head of state of the Central African Republic to voluntarily step down from the office through a democratic process, following the 1993 general election.
The current President of the Central African Republic is Faustin-Archange Touadéra, since 30 March 2016.[2]
Before the adoption of the 2023 constitution, the President of the National Assembly was the constitutional successor of the president in the event of a vacancy.[3]
Before the adoption of the 2023 constitution,[4] there was a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of the Central African Republic. The term limit was not met by any president.[5] The constitution of 2023 removed term-limits and extended the presidential term from five years to seven years.
For heads of state with multiple affiliations, the political party listed first is the party the person was affiliated with at the beginning of the tenure.
| Portrait | Name | Elected | Term of office | Political affiliations | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
| Central African Republic | ||||||||||
| — | David Dacko | — | 14 August 1960 | 12 December 1960 | MESAN | Dacko served as president of the government from 1 May 1959 until the country declared its independence on 13 August 1960. | ||||
| 1 | David Dacko | 1964 | 12 December 1960 | 1 January 1966 | ||||||
| 2 | Jean-Bédel Bokassa | — | 1 January 1966 | 4 December 1976 | Military | Bokassa seized power from Dacko in a successful coup d'état. He changed his name to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa after converting to Islam on 20 October 1976. | ||||
| MESAN | ||||||||||
| Central African Empire | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bokassa I | — | 4 December 1976 | 21 September 1979 | MESAN | Bokassa spent approximately US$20 million—one third of the country's annual budget—on his coronation ceremony on 4 December 1977. | ||||
| Central African Republic | ||||||||||
| 3 | David Dacko | 1981 | 21 September 1979 | 1 September 1981 | MESAN | This was Dacko's second time as president of the Central African Republic. In February 1980, Dacko established the Central African Democratic Union (UDC) as the country's only political party. | ||||
| UDC | ||||||||||
| — | André Kolingba | — | 1 September 1981 | 21 September 1985 | Military | Kolingba seized power from Dacko in a successful coup d'état. Ange-Félix Patassé, with the assistance of François Bozizé, launched an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Kolingba government on 3 March 1982. | ||||
| — | André Kolingba | 21 September 1985 | 21 November 1986 | Kolingba established the Central African Democratic Rally (RDC) as the country's only party in May 1986. | ||||||
| RDC | ||||||||||
| 4 | André Kolingba | 1986 | 21 November 1986 | 22 October 1993 | ||||||
| 5 | Ange-Félix Patassé | 1993 1999 | 22 October 1993 | 15 March 2003 | MLPC | Bozizé launched an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Patassé government on 28 May 2001. | ||||
| 6 | François Bozizé | 2005 2011 | 15 March 2003 | 24 March 2013 | Military | Bozizé seized power from Patassé in a successful coup d'état. Shortly after, he appointed Abel Goumba as Prime Minister. Goumba had served as acting Prime Minister in 1959, before being overthrown by Dacko. | ||||
| Independent | ||||||||||
| 7 | Michel Djotodia | — | 24 March 2013 | 18 August 2013 | Military | Djotodia was the leader of the Séléka rebel coalition in the ongoing civil war. | ||||
| — | Michel Djotodia | 18 August 2013 | 10 January 2014 | |||||||
| — | Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet | — | 10 January 2014 | 23 January 2014 | RPR | Nguendet succeeded Djotodia after his resignation due to the continued conflict. | ||||
| — | Catherine Samba-Panza | — | 23 January 2014 | 30 March 2016 | Independent | Samba-Panza became the first female head of state of the Central African Republic. | ||||
| 8 | Faustin-Archange Touadéra | 2015–16 2020–21 | 30 March 2016 | Incumbent< | -- mandate expires on 30 March 2026 --> | Independent | Previously, Touadéra served as Prime Minister under Bozizé from 2008 until 2013. | |||
| MCU | ||||||||||
See main article: 2020–21 Central African general election.