List of presidents of Ethiopia Facts for Kids

Ethiopia is a country in Africa. Like many countries, it has a leader called a President. The President is the head of state, which means they are the main representative of the country.

Before 1974, Ethiopia was an empire ruled by emperors. But in 1974, a group called the Derg took over the country. They ended the rule of the emperors.

For a while, the Derg leaders were the "heads of state," but they weren't called "presidents." They were more like temporary leaders. It wasn't until 1987 that the official job of "President of Ethiopia" was created.

Since then, Ethiopia has had 8 official presidents. The current president is Taye Atske Selassie. He was chosen on October 7, 2024, by the members of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly, which is like Ethiopia's parliament.

Leaders of Ethiopia

This list shows the people who have been the head of state in Ethiopia since 1974. The leaders of the Derg, who were military rulers, are listed first. They were considered "heads of state" but not "presidents." The numbering for "presidents" starts from 1987, when the official role of President was created.

No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	Time in office			Political Group (Coalition)	Elected
No.	Picture	Name (Born–Died)	Started office	Left office	Total time	Political Group (Coalition)	Elected
• Derg (Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia) (1974–1987) •
–		Lieutenant general Aman Mikael Andom (1924–1974) Acting Head of State	15 September 1974	17 November 1974 (Resigned)	63 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	—
–		Lieutenant colonel 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)	10 September 1987	21 May 1991 (Resigned)	3 years, 253 days	WPE	1987
–		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)	22 August 1995	8 October 2001	6 years, 47 days	ODP (EPRDF) Independent	1995
3		Girma Wolde-Giorgis (1924–2018)	8 October 2001	7 October 2013	11 years, 364 days	Independent	2001 2007
4		Mulatu Teshome (born 1957)	7 October 2013	25 October 2018	5 years, 18 days	ODP (EPRDF)	2013
5		Sahle-Work Zewde (born 1950)	25 October 2018	7 October 2024	5 years, 348 days	Independent	2018
6		Taye Atske Selassie (born 1956)	7 October 2024	Incumbent	261 days	Independent	2024

Timeline of Leaders

This timeline shows when each leader was in power in Ethiopia.

List of presidents of Ethiopia facts for kids

Leaders of Ethiopia

Timeline of Leaders

See also