The following is a list of heads of state of the Comoros, since the country gained independence from France in 1975.
List of officeholders[edit]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Title | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
 / • State of the Comoros (État Comorien) |
|||||||
| 1 |
 |
Ahmed Abdallah (1937–1989) |
President of the Government (until 7 July 1975) Head of State |
6 July 1975 | 3 August 1975 | 28 days | UDC |
| 2 |
 |
Said Mohamed Jaffar (1918–1993) |
Chairman of the National Council of the Revolution (until 10 August 1975) Chairman of the National Executive Council |
3 August 1975 | 3 January 1976 | 153 days | RDPC |
| 3 |
|
Ali Soilih (1937–1978) |
Head of State (until 28 October 1977) President |
3 January 1976 | 13 May 1978 | 2 years, 130 days | RDPC |
| 4 |
|
Said Atthoumani | Chairman of the Politico-Military Directorate | 13 May 1978 | 23 May 1978 | 10 days | Independent |
 / / • Federal and Islamic Republic of the Comoros(République fédérale islamique des Comores) (Jumhuriyat al-Qumur al-Itthadiyah al-Islamiyah) |
|||||||
| – |
|
Ahmed Abdallah &Mohamed Ahmed (1937–1989) (1917–1984) |
Co-Chairmen of the Politico-Military Directorate (until 22 July 1978) Co-Chairmen of the Directorate |
23 May 1978 | 3 October 1978 | 133 days | UDC |
| (1) |
|
Ahmed Abdallah (1937–1989) |
Chairman of the Directorate (until 25 October 1978) President |
3 October 1978 | 26 November 1989 † | 11 years, 54 days | UDC |
| – |
|
Said Mohamed Djohar (1919–2006) Acting |
Acting President | 27 November 1989 | 20 March 1990 | 113 days | UDC |
| 5 |
|
Said Mohamed Djohar (1919–2006) |
President | 20 March 1990 | 29 September 1995 | 5 years, 193 days | UCP |
| 6 |
|
Combo Ayouba (c.1952–2010) |
Coordinator of the Transitional Military Committee | 29 September 1995 | 2 October 1995 | 3 days | Military |
| – |
|
Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim & Said Ali Kemal Acting (1936–1998) (?–?) |
Acting President | 2 October 1995 | 5 October 1995 | 3 days | UND CHUMA |
| – |
|
Caabi El-Yachroutu Mohamed (born 1949) Acting |
Interim President | 5 October 1995 | 26 January 1996 | 113 days | RDR |
| (5) |
|
Said Mohamed Djohar (1919–2006) |
President | 26 January 1996 | 25 March 1996 | 59 days | RDR |
| 6 |
|
Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim (1936–1998) |
President | 25 March 1996 | 6 November 1998 † | 2 years, 226 days | RDR |
| – |
|
Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde (1933–2004) Acting |
Interim President | 6 November 1998 | 30 April 1999 | 175 days | Independent |
| 7 |
 |
Azali Assoumani (born 1959) |
Chief of Staff of the National Development Army (until 6 May 1999) Head of State |
30 April 1999 | 23 December 2001 | 2 years, 237 days | Military |
 • Union of the Comoros(Union des Comores) / الاتحاد القمر (dzima wa Komori) |
|||||||
| (7) |
|
Azali Assoumani (born 1959) |
Head of State | 23 December 2001 | 21 January 2002 | 29 days | Military |
| – |
 |
Hamada Madi (born 1965) Acting [2] |
Interim President | 21 January 2002 | 26 May 2002 | 125 days | Republican |
| (7) |
|
Azali Assoumani (born 1959) |
President | 26 May 2002 | 26 May 2006 | 4 years, 0 days | CRC |
| 8 |
 |
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi (born 1958) |
President | 26 May 2006 | 26 May 2011 | 5 years, 0 days | FNJ |
| 9 |
 |
Ikililou Dhoinine (born 1962) |
President | 26 May 2011 | 26 May 2016 | 5 years, 0 days | FNJ |
| (7) |
|
Azali Assoumani (born 1959) |
President | 26 May 2016 | 3 February 2019 | 2 years, 253 days | CRC |
| – |
|
Moustadroine Abdou (born 1969) Acting |
Interim President | 3 February 2019 | 26 May 2019 | 112 days | CRC |
| (7) |
|
Azali Assoumani (born 1959) |
President | 26 May 2019 | Incumbent | 1 year, 323 days | CRC |
Succession[edit]
Article 58[3] of the Comorian Constitution states that “in case of absolute absence of a President” the following should happen:
- If the absence (death, resignation, etc.) should occur in the first 900 days of the term, the cabinet ministers select among themselves a minister to serve as Interim President. Elections must also be called in no more than 60 days after the absence of the President occurs; the person who wins those elections will be President for the remainder of the original five-year presidential term.
- If the absence should occur beyond the first 900 days of the term, then the Governor of the island which is next in line for the presidency will assume the presidency until the end of the original five-year presidential term, at which point regular elections are held.