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List of heads of state of Sierra Leone
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This is a list of the heads of state of Sierra Leone, from the independence of the Sierra Leone in 1961 to the present day.
From 1961 to 1971 the head of state under the Constitution of 1961 was the queen of Sierra Leone Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of other Commonwealth realms. The monarch was represented in Sierra Leone by a governor-general. Sierra Leone became a republic within the Commonwealth under the Constitution of 1971 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial president, a year later it became an executive presidency.
Monarch (1961–1971)
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) | Reign start | Reign end | Duration | 1 |
| [[File:Queen Elizabeth II official portrait for 1959 tour (retouched) (cropped) (3-to-4 aspect ratio).jpg | 90px]] | Queen Elizabeth II | |||||
| (1926–2022) | 27 April 1961 | 19 April 1971 | Windsor | M. Margai | |||
| A. Margai | |||||||
| Stevens |
Governor-general
The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone was granted independence by the Sierra Leone Independence Act 1961, 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 Sierra Leone without the involvement of the British government, with the sole exception of Maurice Henry Dorman, the former colonial governor, who served as governor-general temporarily until he was replaced by Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston. In the event of a vacancy the chief justice would have served as the officer administering the government.
;Status
| No. | Portrait | Name | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch | Prime minister(s) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| [[File:Sir-Maurice-Henry-Dorman.jpg | 90px]] | Sir Maurice Henry Dorman | |||||||||
| (1912–1993) | 27 April 1961 | 5 May 1962 | Elizabeth II | M. Margai | |||||||
| [[File:No image.png | 90px]] | Sir Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston | |||||||||
| (1898–1969) | 5 May 1962 | 11 July 1962 | M. Margai | ||||||||
| Margai | |||||||||||
| Stevens | |||||||||||
| 11 July 1962 | 23 March 1967 | ||||||||||
| (Deposed in a coup) | |||||||||||
| [[File:No image.png | 90px]] | Sir Banja Tejan-Sie | |||||||||
| (1917–2000) | 22 March 1968 | 29 September 1970 | Stevens | ||||||||
| 29 September 1970 | 31 March 1971 | ||||||||||
| — | [[File:No image.png | 90px]] | Christopher Okoro Cole | ||||||||
| (1921–1990) | 31 March 1971 | 19 April 1971 |
Military rule (1967–1968)
| No. | Portrait | Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Military rule}};" | Military rule}};" | Military rule}};" | Military rule}};" | ||||
| [[File:David Lansana 1965-04-29 (cropped).jpg | 90px]] | Brigadier David Lansana | |||||||||||
| (1922–1975) | 21 March 1967 | 23 March 1967 | |||||||||||
| (Deposed in a coup) | Military | ||||||||||||
| [[File:No image.svg | 90px]] | Commissioner Leslie William Leigh | |||||||||||
| (1921–1980) | |||||||||||||
| Chairman of the NRC | 23 March 1967 | 28 March 1967 | Military | ||||||||||
| [[File:Andrew Juxon-Smith illustration.png | 90px]] | Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith | |||||||||||
| (1931–1996) | |||||||||||||
| Chairman of the NRC | 28 March 1967 | 18 April 1968 | |||||||||||
| (Deposed in a coup) | Military | ||||||||||||
| [[File:No image.svg | 90px]] | Brigadier John Amadu Bangura | |||||||||||
| (1930–1970) | |||||||||||||
| Chairman of the NIC and of the ACRM | 18 April 1968 | 22 April 1968 | Military |
Republic (1971–present)
;Political parties
;Other factions
;Status
First Republic (1971–1992)
Under the Constitution of 1971, the first constitution of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the president replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state; a year later the presidency became an executive head of state, The president was elected by Parliament for a four-year term. The 1978 Constitution proclaimed Sierra Leone as a one-party state, the president was elected for a seven-year term and can only serve two terms, then in 1991 a new Constitution was made to end the status as a one-party state, the president now serves a five-year term and can only serve two terms. In the event of a vacancy the vice-president served as acting president.
| No. | Portrait | Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Prime minister(s) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Independent politician}}; color:black;" | — | All People's Congress}}; color:white;" | 1 | All People's Congress}}; color:white;" | 2 |
| [[File:No image.png | 90px]] | Christopher Okoro Cole | |||||||||||
| (1921–1990) | — | 19 April 1971 | 21 April 1971 | Independent | Stevens | ||||||||
| [[File:Siaka Stevens (I-002364, cropped, processing version).jpg | 90px]] | Siaka Stevens | |||||||||||
| (1905–1988) | 1978 | 21 April 1971 | 28 November 1985 | ||||||||||
| (Retired) | APC | Koroma | |||||||||||
| Kamara-Taylor | |||||||||||||
| [[File:Joseph Saidu Momoh 1988 (cropped).jpeg | 90px]] | Joseph Saidu Momoh | |||||||||||
| (1937–2003) | 1985 | 28 November 1985 | 29 April 1992 | ||||||||||
| (Deposed in a coup) | APC | Position abolished |
Military rule (1992–1996)
Valentine Strasser led a coup d'état which overthrew President Momoh and his government, again dissolving all political parties and the Parliament.
| No. | Portrait | Name | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Military rule}}; color:black;" | 3 | Military rule}}; color:black;" | 4 | Military rule}}; color:black;" | 5 |
| [[File:No image.svg | 90px]] | Captain Yahya Kanu | |||||||||
| (died 1992) | |||||||||||
| Chairman of the NPDC | 29 April 1992 | 1 May 1992 | Military | ||||||||
| [[File:Valentine Strasser illustration.png | 90px]] | Captain Valentine Strasser | |||||||||
| (born 1967) | |||||||||||
| Chairman of the NPRC | 1 May 1992 | 16 January 1996 | |||||||||
| (Deposed in a coup) | Military | ||||||||||
| Chairman of the SCS | |||||||||||
| from 6 May 1996 | |||||||||||
| [[File:Julius Maada Bio - 2023 (cropped).jpg | 90px]] | Brigadier Julius Maada Bio | |||||||||
| (born 1964) | |||||||||||
| Chairman of the SCS | 16 January 1996 | 29 March 1996 | Military |
Second Republic (1996–1997)
When the civilian government was restored so was the Constitution of 1991 and in the 1996 elections the SLPP won the election for most seats in Parliament and the presidential election. In the event of a vacancy the vice-president served as acting president.
| No. | Portrait | Name | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Sierra Leone People's Party}}; color:white;" | 6 |
| [[File:Ahmad Tejan Kabbah 2002.jpg | 90px]] | Ahmad Tejan Kabbah | ||||||
| (1932–2014) | 1996 | 29 March 1996 | 25 May 1997 | |||||
| (Deposed in a coup) | SLPP |
Military rule (1997–1998)
Major Johnny Koroma led a coup d'état which overthrew President Kabbah and his government, dissolving all political parties and the Parliament.
| No. | Portrait | Name | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Military rule}}; color:black;" | 7 |
| [[File:Johnny Paul Koroma, head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council in Sierra Leone.jpg | 90px]] | Major Johnny Paul Koroma | |||||
| (1960–2003) | |||||||
| Chairman of the AFRC | 25 May 1997 | 12 February 1998 | |||||
| (Deposed by ECOWAS) | Military |
Third Republic (1998–present)
The civilian government was restored, as was the Constitution of 1991 and the members of Parliament and the president. In the event of a vacancy the vice-president served as acting president.
| No. | Portrait | Name | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Sierra Leone People's Party}}; color:white;" | (6) | All People's Congress}}; color:white;" | 8 | Sierra Leone People's Party}}; color:white;" | (5) |
| [[File:Ahmad Tejan Kabbah 2002.jpg | 90px]] | Ahmad Tejan Kabbah | ||||||||||
| (1932–2014) | 2002 | 13 February 1998 | 17 September 2007 | SLPP | ||||||||
| [[File:Ernest Bai Koroma February 2015.jpg | 90px]] | Ernest Bai Koroma | ||||||||||
| (born 1953) | 2007 | |||||||||||
| 2012 | 17 September 2007 | 4 April 2018 | APC | |||||||||
| [[File:Julius Maada Bio - 2023 (cropped).jpg | 90px]] | Julius Maada Bio | ||||||||||
| (born 1964) | 2018 | |||||||||||
| 2023 | 4 April 2018 | Incumbent | SLPP |
Timeline since 1971
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:21 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:100 left:20 AlignBars = late
Define $today =
Colors = id:ind value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.8) legend:None_(Independent) id:mil value:rgb(0.76,0.69,0.57) legend:Military id:apc value:rgb(1,0,0) legend:All_People's_Congress id:slpp value:rgb(0,0.51,0.02) legend:Sierra_Leone_People's_Party
id:gray1 value:gray(0.85) id:gray2 value:gray(0.95)
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1971 till:31/12/ TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:5 start:1975 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1971
Legend = columns:1 left:150 top:35 columnwidth:170
TextData = pos:(20,38) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Political party:"
BarData = bar:Cole bar:Stevens bar:Momoh bar:Kanu bar:Strasser bar:Bio bar:Kabbah bar:PaulKoroma bar:BaiKoroma
PlotData = width:5 align:left fontsize:9 shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
bar:Cole from: 19/04/1971 till: 21/04/1971 color:ind text:"Christopher Okoro Cole (acting)" bar:Stevens from: 21/04/1971 till: 28/11/1985 color:apc text:"Siaka Stevens" bar:Momoh from: 28/11/1985 till: 29/04/1992 color:apc text:"Joseph Saidu Momoh" bar:Kanu from: 29/04/1992 till: 01/05/1992 color:mil text:"Yahya Kanu" bar:Strasser from: 01/05/1992 till: 17/01/1996 color:mil text:"Valentine Strasser" bar:Bio from: 17/01/1996 till: 29/03/1996 color:mil from: 04/04/2018 till: $today color:slpp text:"Julius Maada Bio" bar:Kabbah from: 29/03/1996 till: 25/05/1997 color:slpp from: 12/02/1998 till: 17/09/2007 color:slpp text:"Ahmad Tejan Kabbah" bar:PaulKoroma from: 25/05/1997 till: 12/02/1998 color:mil text:"Johnny Paul Koroma" bar:BaiKoroma from: 17/09/2007 till: 04/04/2018 color:apc text:"Ernest Bai Koroma"
Standards
File:Royal Standard of Sierra Leone.svg|alt=|Royal standard File:Flag of the Governor-General of Sierra Leone (1961-1971).svg|alt=|Governor-General's standard File:Flag of the President of Sierra Leone.svg|alt=|Presidential standard
References
References
- Was Chief Justice of Sierra Leone
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