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 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.[1] [2]
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.
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Party | Elected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| • Derg (Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia) (1974–1987) • | |||||||||
| bgcolor= | – | Lieutenant general Aman Mikael Andom | 15 September 1974 | 17 November 1974 | Military rule}} | — | |||
| bgcolor= | – | Major Mengistu Haile Mariam | 17 November 1974 | 28 November 1974 | Military rule}} | — | |||
| bgcolor= | – | Brigadier general Tafari Benti | 28 November 1974 | 3 February 1977† | Military rule}} | — | |||
| bgcolor= | – | Lieutenant colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam | 3 February 1977 | 10 September 1987 | Military rule}} COPWE WPE | — | |||
| • People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1987–1991) • | |||||||||
| bgcolor= | 1 | Mengistu Haile Mariam | 10 September 1987 | 21 May 1991 | WPE | 1987 | |||
| bgcolor= | – | Tesfaye Gebre Kidan | 21 May 1991 | 27 May 1991 | WPE | — | |||
| • Transitional Government of Ethiopia (1991–1995) • | |||||||||
| bgcolor= | – | Meles Zenawi | 28 May 1991 | 22 August 1995 | TPLF | — | |||
| • Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1995–present) • | |||||||||
| bgcolor= | 2 | Negasso Gidada | 22 August 1995 | 8 October 2001 | ODP Independent | 1995 | |||
| bgcolor= | 3 | Girma Wolde-Giorgis | 8 October 2001 | 7 October 2013 | Independent | 2001 2007 | |||
| bgcolor= | 4 | Mulatu Teshome | 7 October 2013 | 25 October 2018 | ODP | 2013 | |||
| bgcolor= | 5 | Sahle-Work Zewde | 25 October 2018 | Incumbent | Independent | 2018 | |||