This is a list of the heads of state of Tanzania, from the independence of Tanganyika in 1961 to the present day.
From 1961 to 1962 the head of state under the Constitution of 1961 was the queen of Tanganyika, Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of other Commonwealth realms. The monarch was represented in Tanganyika by a governor-general. Tanganyika became a republic within the Commonwealth under the Constitution of 1962 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by an executive president. After the Zanzibar Revolution, which overthrew the Sultanate of Zanzibar in January 1964, the People's Republic of Zanzibar united with mainland Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which was later renamed to the United Republic of Tanzania.
Monarch (1961–1962)
The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Royal House | Prime minister(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 9 December 1961 | 9 December 1962 | 1 year | Windsor | Nyerere Kawawa | |
Governor-general
The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Tanganyika and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The governor-general was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. Since Tanganyika was granted independence by the Tanganyika Independence Act 1961 (10 & 11 Eliz. 2. c. 1), rather than being first established as a semi-autonomous dominion and later promoted to independence as defined by the Statute of Westminster 1931, the governor-general was to be always appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Tanganyika without the involvement of the British government. As Tanganyika became a republic before Richard Turnbull, the former colonial governor, was replaced, this has never happened. In the event of a vacancy the chief justice would have served as the officer administering the government.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch | Prime minister(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Sir Richard Turnbull (1909–1998) | 9 December 1961 | 9 December 1962 | 1 year | Elizabeth II | Nyerere Kawawa | |
Republic (1962–present)
- Political parties
- Symbols
§ Elected unopposed
† Died in office
President of Tanganyika
Under the Constitution of 1962, the first constitution of the Republic of Tanganyika, the president replaced the monarch as executive head of state. In the event of a vacancy the Vice-President of Tanganyika served as acting president.
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) | Term of office | Political party | Elected | Cabinet(s) | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
| 1 | Julius Nyerere (1922–1999) | 9 December 1962 | 29 October 1964 | 1 year, 325 days | TANU | 1962 | Nyerere I | |||
President of Tanzania
Under the Constitution of 1964, the first constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, the president replaced the president of Tanganyika and the president of Zanzibar as executive head of state. The president was elected by a yes-or-no confirmation referendum for a five-year term after being nominated by a TANU/CCM electoral college. Following the restoration of a multi-party system in 1992, multi-candidate elections were introduced in 1995, with the president elected via First-past-the-post voting. In the event of a vacancy the vice-president serves as president for the remainder of the presidential term.
Former president John Magufuli took a monthly salary of 9 million Tanzanian shillings (approximately USD $4,000).
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) | Term of office | Political party | Elected | Cabinet(s) | Prime minister(s) | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||||
| 1 | Julius Nyerere (1922–1999) | 1 November 1964 | 5 November 1985 | 21 years, 4 days | TANU (until 1977) | 1965[§] | Nyerere II | Kawawa | |||
| 1970[§] | Nyerere III | ||||||||||
| 1975[§] | Nyerere IV | ||||||||||
| CCM | 1980[§] | Nyerere V | Kawawa | ||||||||
| Sokoine | |||||||||||
| Msuya | |||||||||||
| Sokoine | |||||||||||
| Salim | |||||||||||
| 2 | Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1925–2024) | 5 November 1985 | 23 November 1995 | 10 years, 18 days | CCM | 1985[§] | Mwinyi I | Warioba | |||
| 1990 | Mwinyi II | Malecela | |||||||||
| Msuya | |||||||||||
| 3 | Benjamin Mkapa (1938–2020) | 23 November 1995 | 21 December 2005 | 10 years, 28 days | CCM | 1995 | Mkapa I | Msuya | |||
| Sumaye | |||||||||||
| 2000 | Mkapa II | ||||||||||
| 4 | Jakaya Kikwete (born 1950) | 21 December 2005 | 5 November 2015 | 9 years, 319 days | CCM | 2005 | Kikwete I | Sumaye | |||
| Lowassa | |||||||||||
| 2010 | Kikwete II | Pinda | |||||||||
| 5 | John Magufuli (1959–2021) | 5 November 2015 | 17 March 2021[†] | 5 years, 132 days | CCM | 2015 | Magufuli I | Majaliwa | |||
| 2020 | Magufuli II | ||||||||||
| 6 | Samia Suluhu Hassan (born 1960) | 19 March 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 276 days | CCM | 2025 | Suluhu | Majaliwa | |||
| Nchemba | |||||||||||
Timeline since 1962
Standards
- Governor-General's standard
- Presidential standard
See also
- Politics of Tanzania
- List of governors of Tanganyika
- President of Tanzania
- Vice-President of Tanzania
- Prime Minister of Tanzania
- List of sultans of Zanzibar
- President of Zanzibar
- Vice President of Zanzibar
- List of heads of government of Zanzibar
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