List of heads of state by term of office
The list names - in chronological order after their inauguration - all currently incumbent heads of state of the sovereign states of the world. Some of the rulers (for example in Brunei) were already in office before taking office. In this case, the date of taking office refers to the date of independence of the state. Heads of state from member states are not listed.
Acting heads of state
Monarchs are in italics in the list .
With a tenure of more than 25 years
Surname | Country | in office since | Days in office |
---|---|---|---|
Elizabeth II | United Kingdom | Feb 6, 1952 | 25,041 |
Haji Hassan al-Bolkiah | Brunei | Oct. 4, 1967 | 19,322 |
Margrethe II. | Denmark | Jan. 14, 1972 | 17,759 |
Carl XVI. Gustaf | Sweden | Sep 15 1973 | 17,149 |
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | Equatorial Guinea | Aug 3, 1979 | 15.001 |
Paul Biya | Cameroon | Nov 6, 1982 | 13,810 |
Yoweri Museveni | Uganda | Jan. 26, 1986 | 12,633 |
Mswati III. | Swaziland | Apr 25, 1986 | 12,544 |
Ali Khamene'i | Iran | June 4th 1989 | 11,408 |
Hans-Adam II. | Liechtenstein | Nov 13, 1989 | 11,246 |
Idriss Déby | Chad | Dec 2, 1990 | 10,862 |
Harald V. | Norway | Jan. 17, 1991 | 10,816 |
Emomalij Rahmon | Tajikistan | Nov 20, 1992 | 10.143 |
Isayas Afewerki | Eritrea | May 24, 1993 | 9,958 |
Alexander Lukashenko | Belarus | July 20, 1994 | 9,536 |
With a tenure of more than ten years
Surname | Country | in office since | Days in office |
---|---|---|---|
Letsie III. | Lesotho | Feb. 7, 1996 | 8,969 |
Denis Sassou-Nguesso | Republic of the Congo | Oct 25, 1997 | 8,343 |
Abdullah II | Jordan | Feb 7, 1999 | 7,873 |
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa | Bahrain | 6th Mar 1999 | 7,846 |
Ismail Omar Guelleh | Djibouti | May 8, 1999 | 7,783 |
Mohammed VI | Morocco | July 23, 1999 | 7,707 |
Paul Kagame | Rwanda | 24 Mar 2000 | 7,462 |
Bashar al-Assad | Syria | July 17, 2000 | 7,347 |
Henri | Luxembourg | Oct 7, 2000 | 7,265 |
Joan Enric Vives i Sicília | Andorra | May 12, 2003 | 6.318 |
İlham Əliyev | Azerbaijan | Oct 31, 2003 | 6,146 |
Norodom Sihamoni | Cambodia | Oct 14, 2004 | 5,797 |
Chalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan | United Arab Emirates | Nov 3, 2004 | 5,777 |
Albert II | Monaco | Apr 6, 2005 | 5,623 |
Faure Gnassingbé | Togo | May 4, 2005 | 5,595 |
Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah | Kuwait | Jan. 29, 2006 | 5,325 |
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | Bhutan | Dec 14, 2006 | 5,006 |
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | Turkmenistan | Dec 21, 2006 | 4,999 |
Daniel Ortega | Nicaragua | Jan. 10, 2007 | 4,979 |
Ali-Ben Bongo Ondimba | Gabon | Oct 16, 2009 | 3,969 |
With a tenure of more than five years
With a tenure of less than five years
Interim heads of state
Country | Surname | in office since | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Sudan | Abdel Fattah Burhan | April 12, 2019 | The lieutenant general took over the leadership of a transitional council. |
Bolivia | Jeanine Áñez | Nov 11, 2019 | The second Vice-President of the Senate declared herself interim as the successor to Evo Morales . |
Mali | Assimi Goita | 19 Aug 2020 | After a military coup , the "National Committee for the Welfare of the People" took over the leadership as a transitional council with Assimi Goita as chairman. |
special cases
This list shows the heads of state who currently hold this office, but who do so in a special form. Therefore, they cannot simply be included in the list of heads of state by term of office .
De facto heads of state
de jure | de facto | in office since | Country | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
none | Naruhito | 1st May 2019 | Japan | According to the Japanese constitution , the emperor is merely the “symbol of the state and the unity of the people” and no longer explicitly head of state as it used to be. |
none | Changing annually, see Federal President (Switzerland) |
January 1st of the current year | Switzerland | The Swiss Federal Constitution has neither a head of state nor a head of government. The Federal President is only a primus inter pares within the Federal Council , a seven-person body elected by Parliament . For a comparison to this list (with the presidents), the term of office as Federal Council would be conceivable (but not directly applicable). |
Deceased as heads of state
de jure | in office since | de facto | in office since | Country | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kim Il-sung | Dec. 28, 1972 | Choe Ryong-hae | April 12, 2019 | North Korea | According to the North Korean constitution, Kim Il-sung (died 1994) is perpetual president and therefore still head of state. The chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea has the de facto role. |
Absent or raptured as de jure heads of state
de jure | de facto | in office since | Country | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Muhammad al-Mahdī (in secrecy since 941 AD) |
Sayyid Alī Chāmene'ī ( religious leader ) |
June 4th 1989 | Iran | The 1979 constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran names an imam , Muhammad al-Mahdī, who is in a rapt state , as the actual head of state . The clergy prevails on this view only in representation of the imam until his return from obscurity. This vicarious rule of the clergy is called “Velayat-e Faqih” in Persian. The concept goes back essentially to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and forms the legitimation of the theocratic elements of the constitution. The highest and most powerful office in today's Iranian state is the religious leader. According to Article 5 of the Constitution, he rules as the representative of the expected Imam Muhammad al-Mahdī.
- Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1979
|
Heads of state of not generally recognized states
Due to the large number of areas and countries that have declared themselves independent ( e.g. Transnistria or Somaliland ), only states are listed here that are internationally recognized by at least one state.
Head of state | in office since | Country | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Mahmoud Abbas | Jan 15, 2005 | State of Palestine | The state of Palestine is one of 138 states recognized by the PLO . Nominal government functions in the Palestinian Territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip , however, are exercised by the Palestinian Authority , which was established by mutual agreement between the PLO and Israel and which is also chaired by Abbas. Since the autonomous areas are not a sovereign state, their head is not one of such a state. On June 14, 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip and formed its own government there. Thus, the government of Mahmoud Abbas de facto only has control over the areas in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority and the State of Palestine are institutionally closely linked; the extent to which the Palestinian Authority should be integrated into the state is controversial. |
Mustafa Akıncı | Apr 30, 2015 | Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | The northern part of the island of Cyprus declared itself independent from the Republic of Cyprus as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a result of conflicts between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in 1983 . Internationally, Northern Cyprus is only recognized as a sovereign state by Turkey . The UN has annulled the declaration of independence and continues to regard the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as part of the Republic of Cyprus. |
Hashim Thaçi | Apr 7, 2016 | Kosovo | The former Yugoslav and later Serbian province of Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. The area, which is predominantly inhabited by Albanians, has been under UN administration ( UNMIK ) since 1999 . Kosovo is now recognized by 114 of the 193 UN member states ( International Recognition of Kosovo ). Serbia and Russia in particular are opposed to independence. Other states such as Spain or the Republic of Cyprus also reject independence because of the separatist aspirations of minorities in their own country. |
Tsai Ing-wen | May 20, 2016 | Republic of China (Taiwan) | The Republic of China is one of the two Chinese states alongside the People's Republic of China . Both have in the past claimed to legally represent China. However, this claim is in fact no longer made by the Republic of China on Taiwan. The People's Republic has been the legitimate representative of China at the UN since 1971 (see here ). The republic currently maintains official diplomatic relations with 22 states. It is owned by 12 American states (including Belize , Dominican Republic , Guatemala , Haiti , Panama , Paraguay ), six oceanic states (including Kiribati , Marshall Islands , Solomon Islands ), four African states ( Burkina Faso , Gambia , São Tomé and Príncipe and Swaziland ) and recognized by the Vatican as the only European state. |
Brahim Ghali | July 12, 2016 | Sahara Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) | 1976 called POLISARIO after the withdrawal of Spain , the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic of. In the same year Morocco and Mauritania annexed the territory, which has been largely under Moroccan administration since 1979. The state is currently owned by 45 states recognized , but not by the UN . In Europe only Albania and the SFRY Yugoslavia have recognized the country, both ( Serbia and Montenegro as legal successors to the SFRY) withdrew their recognition in 2004. The country's head of state (the government in exile has its seat in Tindouf , Algeria ) is therefore not a sovereign state. |
Anatoly Bibilov | Apr 21, 2017 | South Ossetia | The region of South Ossetia, which is part of Georgia under international law , declared its independence in 1991 . In 1992 the former special forces of the Soviet Interior Ministry were withdrawn, which led to fighting between South Ossetians and Georgians. In a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia, the withdrawal of Georgia and the stationing of peacekeeping forces was decided. Georgia began to occupy South Ossetia in early August 2008, and in response Russian troops moved into South Ossetia and also occupied territories in Georgia. On August 12, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the completion of military operations in Georgia. Like Abkhazia, South Ossetia was recognized by a unanimous decision of the two chambers of the Russian parliament. With the ratification of this decision by President Medvedev on August 26th, South Ossetia is recognized by Russia as a sovereign state. The second state followed on September 5, 2008, Nicaragua with the recognition of South Ossetia. |
Aslan Bschania | 23 Apr 2020 | Abkhazia | The Abkhazia region, which is part of Georgia under international law , declared its independence as early as 1992. In the same year a war broke out between Abkhazian separatists and the Georgian military, which ended in 1994 with a withdrawal of the Georgians and a ceasefire. Since then, the ceasefire has been monitored by Russian troops as peacekeeping forces of the CIS . In March and April 2008 there were renewed tensions with Georgia, which escalated in August in the course of the South Ossetia conflict . On August 26, the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ratified the unanimous decision of the two chambers of the Russian Parliament, taken on the previous days, to recognize Abkhazia as an independent state at the same time as South Ossetia. Abkhazia is internationally recognized by Russia and, since September 5, 2008, also by Nicaragua as a sovereign state. |
Historical heads of state
20th century
This list names the heads of state of sovereign states of the 20th century with terms of office of more than 20 years. All heads of state whose inauguration took place in 1901 at the earliest and 25 years ago at the latest are listed. As with the currently incumbent heads of state, only the term of office from the independence of a state is given here. The total duration of the term of office is given in years and days, including the day of taking office and the day of the end of the term of office (in case of doubt (leap years) the number of days results from the period from the last anniversary to the end of the term of office).
19th century
18th century
Surname | Country | Reign | Years |
---|---|---|---|
Clement XI. | Papal States | 1700-1721 | 21st |
Philip V. | Spain | 1700-1724 1724-1746 |
46 |
Johann V. | Portugal | 1706-1750 | 44 |
Charles VI | HRR | 1711-1740 | 29 |
Friedrich Wilhelm I. | Prussia | 1713-1740 | 27 |
Louis XV | France | 1715-1774 | 59 |
Friedrich | Sweden | 1720-1751 | 31 |
George II |
Great Britain Ireland |
1727-1760 | 33 |
Karl Friedrich | to bathe | 1738-1811 | 73 |
Maria Theresa | Hungary | 1740-1780 | 40 |
Elisabeth | Russia | 1741-1762 | 21st |
Franz I. | HRR | 1745-1765 | 20th |
Joseph | Portugal | 1750-1777 | 27 |
Adolf Friedrich | Sweden | 1751-1771 | 20th |
Charles III | Spain | 1759-1788 | 29 |
Friedrich II. | Prussia | 1740-1786 | 46 |
Friedrich V. |
Denmark Norway |
1746-1766 | 20th |
George III | Great Britain | 1760-1820 | 60 |
Catherine II | Russia | 1762-1796 | 34 |
Joseph II | HRR | 1765-1790 | 25th |
Christian VII |
Denmark Norway |
1766-1808 | 42 |
Gustav III | Sweden | 1771-1792 | 21st |
Pius VI | Papal States | 1775-1798 | 23 |
Maria I. | Portugal | 1777-1816 | 39 |
Charles IV | Spain | 1788-1808 | 20th |
Franz | Hungary | 1792-1835 | 43 |
Friedrich Wilhelm III. | Prussia | 1797-1840 | 43 |
17th century
Surname | Country | Reign | Years |
---|---|---|---|
Jacob I. |
England Ireland |
1603-1625 | 22nd |
Louis XIII | France | 1610-1643 | 33 |
Gustav II | Sweden | 1611-1632 | 21st |
Philip IV | Spain | 1621-1665 | 44 |
Urban VIII. | Papal States | 1623-1644 | 21st |
Charles I. |
England Ireland Scotland |
1625-1649 | 24 |
Christina | Sweden | 1632-1654 | 22nd |
Ferdinand III. |
HRR Hungary |
1637-1657 | 20th |
Louis XIV | France | 1643-1715 | 72 |
Friedrich III. | Denmark | 1648-1670 | 22nd |
Charles II | Scotland | 1649-1651 1660-1685 |
27 |
Alfonso VI | Portugal | 1656-1683 | 27 |
Leopold I. |
HRR Hungary |
1657-1705 | 48 |
Charles II |
England Ireland Scotland |
1660-1685 | 25th |
Charles XI. | Sweden | 1660-1697 | 37 |
Charles II | Spain | 1665-1700 | 35 |
Christian V. |
Denmark Norway |
1670-1699 | 29 |
Peter I. | Russia | 1682-1725 | 43 |
Peter II | Portugal | 1683-1706 | 23 |
Charles XII. | Sweden | 1697-1718 | 21st |
Friedrich IV. |
Denmark Norway |
1699-1730 | 31 |
16th Century
Surname | Country | Reign | Years |
---|---|---|---|
Johanna |
Castile Aragon |
1504-1555 1516-1555 |
51 39 |
Henry VIII | England | 1509-1547 | 38 |
Jacob V. | Scotland | 1513-1542 | 29 |
Franz I. | France | 1515-1547 | 32 |
Charles V |
Spain HRR |
1516-1556 1519-1556 |
40 37 |
Henry II | Navarre | 1517-1555 | 38 |
Suleyman I. | Ottomans | 1520-1566 | 46 |
Johann III. | Portugal | 1521-1557 | 36 |
Gustav I. | Sweden | 1523-1560 | 37 |
Ferdinand I. | Hungary | 1526-1564 | 38 |
Christian III |
Denmark Norway |
1534-1559 | 25th |
Johann II. | Hungary | 1540-1570 | 30th |
Maria I. | Scotland | 1542-1567 | 25th |
Philip II | Spain | 1556-1598 | 42 |
Sebastian | Portugal | 1557-1578 | 21st |
Elizabeth I. |
England Ireland |
1558-1603 | 45 |
Friedrich II. |
Denmark Norway |
1559-1588 | 29 |
Jacob VI | Scotland | 1567-1625 | 58 |
Johann III. | Sweden | 1568-1592 | 24 |
Henry IV. |
Navarre France |
1572-1610 1589-1610 |
38 21 |
Rudolf II. |
HRR Hungary |
1576-1612 1576-1608 |
36 32 |
Christian IV |
Denmark Norway |
1588-1648 | 60 |
Philip III |
Spain Portugal |
1598-1621 | 23 |
15th century
Surname | Country | Reign | Years |
---|---|---|---|
Jacob I. | Scotland | 1406-1437 | 31 |
Johann II. | Castile | 1406-1454 | 48 |
Sigismund | HRR | 1410-1437 | 27 |
Erik VII. | Denmark | 1412-1439 | 27 |
Alfons V. | Aragon | 1416-1458 | 42 |
Charles VII | France | 1422-1461 | 39 |
Henry VI. | England | 1422-1461 1470-1471 |
40 |
John VIII | Byzantium | 1425-1448 | 23 |
Jacob II | Scotland | 1437-1460 | 23 |
Alfons V. | Portugal | 1438-1481 | 43 |
Friedrich III. | HRR | 1440-1493 | 53 |
Christian I. | Denmark | 1448-1481 | 33 |
Henry IV. | Castile | 1454-1474 | 20th |
Johann II. | Aragon | 1458-1479 | 21st |
Matthias I. | Hungary | 1458-1490 | 32 |
Jacob III | Scotland | 1460-1488 | 28 |
Edward IV | England | 1461-1470 1471-1483 |
21st |
Louis XI. | France | 1461-1483 | 22nd |
Isabella I. | Castile | 1474-1504 | 30th |
Ferdinand II. | Aragon | 1479-1516 | 37 |
Johann I. | Denmark | 1481-1513 | 32 |
Catherine | Navarre | 1483-1517 | 34 |
Henry VII | England | 1485-1509 | 24 |
Jacob IV | Scotland | 1488-1513 | 25th |
Vladislaus II | Hungary | 1490-1516 | 26th |
Maximilian I. | HRR | 1493-1519 | 26th |
Manuel I. | Portugal | 1495-1521 | 26th |
Heads of State up to the 14th century (selection)
Individual references / comments
- ↑ Elizabeth II is head of state of a total of 16 states, the Commonwealth Realms , in which the legitimate descendant of Sophie von der Pfalz is the owner of the respective crown. Apart from the United Kingdom, these are the following states: Antigua and Barbuda (1981), Australia , Bahamas (1973), Barbados (1966), Belize (1981), Grenada (1974), Jamaica (1962), Canada , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea (1975), Solomon Islands (1978), St. Kitts and Nevis (1983), St. Lucia (1979), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1979), Tuvalu (1978) (see also here ) . The year numbers indicate the respective year of independence and thus the beginning of the respective monarchies. Australia, Canada and New Zealand were independent before 1952. In her capacity as Queen of New Zealand, Elizabeth II is also the head of state of the Cook Islands and Niue . These two areas are considered to be independent states in "free association with New Zealand". The Cook Islands are recognized by Germany as independent.
- ↑ Joan Enric Vives i Sicília , as Bishop of Urgell, is at the same time one of the two co- princes of Andorra alongside the French President . Together they form the collective head of state.
- ^ The French President is at the same time one of the two co- princes of Andorra alongside the Bishop of Urgell . Together they form the collective head of state.
- ↑ The state presidency of the entire state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into three parts. It is formed by a member of the Bosniak, Croatian and Serbian ethnic groups. The chairmanship of the State Presidium changes every eight months. Since March 20, 2020, Šefik Džaferović (Bosniak) has held the office of Chairman and is therefore acting President.
- ↑ Alessandro Mancini and Grazia Zafferani together form the head of state of San Marino as Capitani Reggenti for half a year .
- ↑ Renate Schmidt: The Velayat-e Faqih In: Azadeh Zamirirad (Hrsg.): The political system of Iran. Potsdam 2011, ISBN 978-3-941880-25-2 , pp. 66-68.
- ↑ Heinz Halm: The Shiite Islam. From religion to revolution , Munich 1994, pp. 47–50.
- ↑ a b After the end of World War II , a new constitution came into force in Japan in 1947 . According to this constitution, the Tennō is not a head of state in the legal sense, he is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people"
- ↑ Until April 5, 1963, Malietoa Tanumafili II was together with Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole head of state of West Samoa.
- ↑ Muammar al-Gaddafi has not held any official posts since 1979, but as a “leader of the revolution” he remained the de facto head of state of Libya.
- ↑ From 1971 the Republic of China was no longer the legitimate representative of China as a whole at the United Nations. This status was transferred to the People's Republic, which is why Chiang Kai-shek, strictly speaking, from 1971 onwards could no longer be regarded as the head of state of a sovereign state. For an explanation, see also special cases .
- ↑ Ali Abdullah Salih was President of the Yemeni Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 1978 and became head of state of the united state, the Republic of Yemen , after unification with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) in 1990 .
- ↑ a b Joan Martí Alanís and Ramon Iglésias Navarri, as Bishops of Urgell, were at the same time co- princes of Andorra and thus, together with the President of France , the collective head of state.
- ↑ Urho Kekkonen is considered to be the continuously democratically elected or re-elected head of state with the longest term in office.
- ↑ From 1971 the Republic of China was no longer the legitimate representative of China as a whole at the United Nations. This status was transferred to the People's Republic, which is why Chiang Kai-shek, strictly speaking, from 1971 onwards could no longer be regarded as the head of state of a sovereign state. For an explanation, see also special cases .