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 | ||
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Started office | Left office | Total time | |||||
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Lieutenant general Aman Mikael Andom (1924–1974) Acting Head of State |
15 September 1974 | 17 November 1974 (Resigned) |
63 days | Military | — |
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Major Mengistu Haile Mariam (born 1937) Acting Head of State |
17 November 1974 | 28 November 1974 | 11 days | Military | — |
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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 |
— |
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1 | ![]() |
Mengistu Haile Mariam (born 1937) |
10 September 1987 | 21 May 1991 (Resigned) |
3 years, 253 days | WPE | 1987 |
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Tesfaye Gebre Kidan (1935–2004) Acting |
21 May 1991 | 27 May 1991 (Deposed) |
6 days | WPE | — |
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Meles Zenawi (1955–2012) Interim |
28 May 1991 | 22 August 1995 | 4 years, 86 days | TPLF (EPRDF) |
— |
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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.

See also
In Spanish: Presidente de Etiopía para niños
- Emperor of Ethiopia
- List of emperors of Ethiopia
- President of Ethiopia
- Prime Minister of Ethiopia
- Rulers of Ethiopia
- Vice President of Ethiopia