Heads of state of the Central African Republic (and Central African Empire)
Encyclopedia
This is a complete list of the heads of state of the Central African Republic and Central African Empire. There have been five heads of state
in the history
of the Central African Republic
and Central African Empire
since independence was obtained from the French on 13 August 1960. This list includes not only those persons who were sworn into office as President of Central African Republic but also those who served as de facto
heads of state. Jean-Bédel Bokassa
served as a de facto head of state, while David Dacko
(who served as de facto head of state from 1979–1981), André Kolingba
, Ange-Félix Patassé
, and François Bozizé
were elected into office at some point during their tenure.
Dacko took control of the country in 1959 after a brief internal struggle for power with Abel Goumba
. After independence, Dacko served as President of the Provisional Government and later President until being deposed in a coup d'état on New Year's Day
, 1966 by one of his ministers, Bokassa. He ruled for 10 years before replacing the government with a monarchy
, the Central African Empire
. Bokassa ruled for nearly three years before being deposed in a French-orchestrated coup, which installed Dacko as president of the renewed Central African Republic. Two years into his single-party
rule, he was overthrown in a bloodless coup by his armed forces
chief of staff
, Kolingba. Five years into his military rule
, Kolingba established himself as the President and Head of State of the Central African Republic. Under pressure to democratize
the government, he formed a political party
and held a referendum
, in which he was elected to a six-year term in office as president. He was defeated in the next presidential election in 1993 by Patassé. Patassé served in office for almost 10 years before being overthrown in a coup by his armed forces chief of staff, Bozizé. Bozizé currently serves as the President of the Central African Republic.
in an internal power struggle. Dacko had support from the French government
. Bokassa seized power by staging a coup d'état from 31 December 1965 until 1 January 1966. Bokassa forced Dacko to officially resign from the presidency at 03:20 WAT
(02:20 UTC
) on 1 January. Bokassa staged a military coup against the Dacko government on 31 December 1965 – 1 January 1966. After becoming president, Bokassa took control of MESAN
and imposed single-party rule under MESAN. Bokassa, then-President for Life
of the Central African Republic, instituted a new constitution at the session of the MESAN congress and declared the republic
a monarchy
, the Central African Empire
(CAE). Bokassa became the emperor of the CAE as "Bokassa I". By 1979, French support for Bokassa had all but eroded after the government's brutal suppression of rioting in Bangui
and massacre of schoolchildren who had protested against wearing the expensive, government-required school uniform
s. Dacko, who was Bokassa's personal adviser at the time, managed to leave for Paris where the French convinced him to cooperate in a coup to remove Bokassa from power and restore him to the presidency. The French successfully executed Operation Barracuda on 20–21 September 1979 and installed Dacko as president. General Kolingba (who was also the armed forces
chief of staff
) overthrew Dacko from the presidency in a bloodless coup. On 21 September 1985, Kolingba dissolved the Military Committee for National Recovery, and created the positions of Head of State and President. A constitution was adopted by a referendum
on 21 November 1986 and Kolingba was elected to a six-year term in office. The country held a multiparty presidential election in August/September 1993. Patassé was the candidate from the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People
party and ran on the platform that he would pay the previously withheld salaries to soldiers and civil servants. Patassé defeated Dacko, Kolingba, Bozizé and Abel Goumba
to win the election. Bozizé's second coup attempt was successful; he seized power in Bangui
on 15 March 2003.
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
in the history
History of the Central African Republic
-Early history:The Central African Republic is believed to have been settled from at least the 7th century on by overlapping empires, including the Kanem-Bornu, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, and Dafour groups based on the Lake Chad region and along the Upper Nile...
of the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
and Central African Empire
Central African Empire
The Central African Empire was a short-lived, self-declared autocratic monarchy that replaced the Central African Republic and was, in turn, replaced by the restoration of the republic. The empire was formed when Jean-Bédel Bokassa, President of the republic, declared himself Emperor Bokassa I on...
since independence was obtained from the French on 13 August 1960. This list includes not only those persons who were sworn into office as President of Central African Republic but also those who served as de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
heads of state. Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Jean-Bédel Bokassa , a military officer, was the head of state of the Central African Republic and its successor state, the Central African Empire, from his coup d'état on 1 January 1966 until 20 September 1979...
served as a de facto head of state, while David Dacko
David Dacko
David Dacko was the first President of the Central African Republic , from August 14, 1960 to January 1, 1966, and the third president of the CAR from September 21, 1979 to September 1, 1981...
(who served as de facto head of state from 1979–1981), André Kolingba
André Kolingba
André-Dieudonné Kolingba was the fourth president of the Central African Republic , from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David Dacko in a bloodless coup d'état in 1981 and lost power to Ange-Félix Patassé in a democratic election held in 1993...
, Ange-Félix Patassé
Ange-Félix Patassé
Ange-Félix Patassé was a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 1993 until 2003, when he was deposed by the rebel leader François Bozizé...
, and François Bozizé
François Bozizé
François Bozizé Yangouvonda is the President of the Central African Republic. He came to power in March 2003 after leading a rebellion against President Ange-Félix Patassé and ushered in a transitional period of government...
were elected into office at some point during their tenure.
Dacko took control of the country in 1959 after a brief internal struggle for power with Abel Goumba
Abel Goumba
Abel Nguéndé Goumba was a Central African political figure...
. After independence, Dacko served as President of the Provisional Government and later President until being deposed in a coup d'état on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, 1966 by one of his ministers, Bokassa. He ruled for 10 years before replacing the government with a monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, the Central African Empire
Central African Empire
The Central African Empire was a short-lived, self-declared autocratic monarchy that replaced the Central African Republic and was, in turn, replaced by the restoration of the republic. The empire was formed when Jean-Bédel Bokassa, President of the republic, declared himself Emperor Bokassa I on...
. Bokassa ruled for nearly three years before being deposed in a French-orchestrated coup, which installed Dacko as president of the renewed Central African Republic. Two years into his single-party
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
rule, he was overthrown in a bloodless coup by his armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
, Kolingba. Five years into his military rule
Military rule
Military rule may mean:* Militarism or militarist ideology - the ideology of government as best served when under military control* Military occupation, when a country or area is occupied after invasion.** List of military occupations...
, Kolingba established himself as the President and Head of State of the Central African Republic. Under pressure to democratize
Democratization
Democratization is the transition to a more democratic political regime. It may be the transition from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy, a transition from an authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy or transition from a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic...
the government, he formed a political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
and held a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
, in which he was elected to a six-year term in office as president. He was defeated in the next presidential election in 1993 by Patassé. Patassé served in office for almost 10 years before being overthrown in a coup by his armed forces chief of staff, Bozizé. Bozizé currently serves as the President of the Central African Republic.
Political affiliations
For heads of state with multiple affiliations, the political party listed first is the party the person was affiliated with at the beginning of his tenure.Heads of state
| Central African Republic Central African Republic The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,... |
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| French French language French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts... : République centrafricaine, Sango Sango language Sango is the primary language spoken in the Central African Republic: it has approximately 1,600,000 second-language speakers, but only about 404,000 native speakers, mainly in the towns.- Classification :... : Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka |
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| Head of state | Portrait | Entered office | Left office | Political affiliations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Dacko David Dacko David Dacko was the first President of the Central African Republic , from August 14, 1960 to January 1, 1966, and the third president of the CAR from September 21, 1979 to September 1, 1981... , President of the Provisional Government |
 |
14 August 1960 | 12 December 1960 | MESAN MESAN The Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire was a nationalist quasi-religious political party that sought to affirm black humanity and advocated for the independence of Ubangi-Shari, then a French colonial territory... |
Dacko served as president of the government from 1 May 1959 until the country declared its independence on 13 August 1960. |
| David Dacko David Dacko David Dacko was the first President of the Central African Republic , from August 14, 1960 to January 1, 1966, and the third president of the CAR from September 21, 1979 to September 1, 1981... , President |
12 December 1960 | 1 January 1966 | MESAN | ||
| Jean-Bédel Bokassa Jean-Bédel Bokassa Jean-Bédel Bokassa , a military officer, was the head of state of the Central African Republic and its successor state, the Central African Empire, from his coup d'état on 1 January 1966 until 20 September 1979... , President |
1 January 1966 | 4 December 1976 | Military Military of the Central African Republic The Forces armées centrafricaines are the armed forces of the Central African Republic, established after independence in 1960. Today they are a rather weak institution, dependent on international support to hold back the enemies in the current civil war... |
Bokassa changed his name to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa after converting to Islam Islam Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~... on 20 October 1976. |
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| MESAN | |||||
| Central African Empire Central African Empire The Central African Empire was a short-lived, self-declared autocratic monarchy that replaced the Central African Republic and was, in turn, replaced by the restoration of the republic. The empire was formed when Jean-Bédel Bokassa, President of the republic, declared himself Emperor Bokassa I on... |
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| French French language French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts... : Empire centrafricain |
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| Emperor Bokassa I Jean-Bédel Bokassa Jean-Bédel Bokassa , a military officer, was the head of state of the Central African Republic and its successor state, the Central African Empire, from his coup d'état on 1 January 1966 until 20 September 1979... |
4 December 1976 | 21 September 1979 | MESAN | Bokassa spent approximately US$20 million dollars—one third of the country's annual budget—on his coronation Coronation A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia... ceremony on 4 December 1977. |
|
| Central African Republic Central African Republic The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,... |
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| French French language French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts... : République centrafricaine, Sango Sango language Sango is the primary language spoken in the Central African Republic: it has approximately 1,600,000 second-language speakers, but only about 404,000 native speakers, mainly in the towns.- Classification :... : Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka |
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| David Dacko David Dacko David Dacko was the first President of the Central African Republic , from August 14, 1960 to January 1, 1966, and the third president of the CAR from September 21, 1979 to September 1, 1981... , President |
|
21 September 1979 | 1 September 1981 | MESAN | This was Dacko's second time as president of the Central African Republic. In February 1980, Dacko established the Central African Democratic Union Central African Democratic Union Central African Democratic Union , was a political party in the Central African Republic. UDC was installed by David Dacko in 1980 at a congress in March that year. Dacko claimed that UDC was the continuation of MESAN.-References:* O'Toole, Thomas. The Central African Republic: The Continent's... (UDC) as the country's only political party Single-party state A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election... . |
| UDC Central African Democratic Union Central African Democratic Union , was a political party in the Central African Republic. UDC was installed by David Dacko in 1980 at a congress in March that year. Dacko claimed that UDC was the continuation of MESAN.-References:* O'Toole, Thomas. The Central African Republic: The Continent's... |
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| André Kolingba André Kolingba André-Dieudonné Kolingba was the fourth president of the Central African Republic , from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David Dacko in a bloodless coup d'état in 1981 and lost power to Ange-Félix Patassé in a democratic election held in 1993... , Chairman of the Military Committee of National Recovery |
|
1 September 1981 | 21 September 1985 | Military | Ange-Félix Patassé Ange-Félix Patassé Ange-Félix Patassé was a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 1993 until 2003, when he was deposed by the rebel leader François Bozizé... , with the assistance of François Bozizé François Bozizé François Bozizé Yangouvonda is the President of the Central African Republic. He came to power in March 2003 after leading a rebellion against President Ange-Félix Patassé and ushered in a transitional period of government... , launched an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Kolingba government on 3 March 1982. |
| André Kolingba André Kolingba André-Dieudonné Kolingba was the fourth president of the Central African Republic , from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David Dacko in a bloodless coup d'état in 1981 and lost power to Ange-Félix Patassé in a democratic election held in 1993... , President and Head of State |
21 September 1985 | 21 November 1986 | Military | Kolingba established the Central African Democratic Rally Central African Democratic Rally The Central African Democratic Rally is a political party in the Central African Republic. In the first round of the 2005 presidential election, held on 13 March, the party's candidate, André Kolingba, took 16.36% of the vote and third place. In the 2005 parliamentary election, the RDC won 8 out... (RDC) as the country's only party in May 1986. |
|
| RDC Central African Democratic Rally The Central African Democratic Rally is a political party in the Central African Republic. In the first round of the 2005 presidential election, held on 13 March, the party's candidate, André Kolingba, took 16.36% of the vote and third place. In the 2005 parliamentary election, the RDC won 8 out... |
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| André Kolingba André Kolingba André-Dieudonné Kolingba was the fourth president of the Central African Republic , from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David Dacko in a bloodless coup d'état in 1981 and lost power to Ange-Félix Patassé in a democratic election held in 1993... , President |
21 November 1986 | 22 October 1993 | RDC | ||
| Ange-Félix Patassé Ange-Félix Patassé Ange-Félix Patassé was a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 1993 until 2003, when he was deposed by the rebel leader François Bozizé... , President |
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22 October 1993 | 15 March 2003 | MLPC Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People The Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People is a political party in the Central African Republic. It was established in Paris in 1979 by former prime minister Ange-Félix Patassé as a Central African opposition movement... |
Bozizé unsuccessfully executed a coup d'état against Patassé on 28 May 2001. |
| François Bozizé François Bozizé François Bozizé Yangouvonda is the President of the Central African Republic. He came to power in March 2003 after leading a rebellion against President Ange-Félix Patassé and ushered in a transitional period of government... , President |
 |
15 March 2003 | Incumbent | Military | Bozizé appointed Abel Goumba Abel Goumba Abel Nguéndé Goumba was a Central African political figure... as Prime Minister shortly after seizing power. Goumba had served as acting Prime Minister in 1959, before being overthrown by Dacko. |
| Nonpartisan Nonpartisan In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation.... |
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Footnotes
Dacko became the official President of the Central African Republic after defeating Abel GoumbaAbel Goumba
Abel Nguéndé Goumba was a Central African political figure...
in an internal power struggle. Dacko had support from the French government
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
. Bokassa seized power by staging a coup d'état from 31 December 1965 until 1 January 1966. Bokassa forced Dacko to officially resign from the presidency at 03:20 WAT
West Africa Time
West Africa Time, or WAT, is a time zone used in west-central Africa . The zone is one hour ahead of UTC , which makes it the same as Central European Time...
(02:20 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
) on 1 January. Bokassa staged a military coup against the Dacko government on 31 December 1965 – 1 January 1966. After becoming president, Bokassa took control of MESAN
MESAN
The Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire was a nationalist quasi-religious political party that sought to affirm black humanity and advocated for the independence of Ubangi-Shari, then a French colonial territory...
and imposed single-party rule under MESAN. Bokassa, then-President for Life
President for Life
President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to remove their term limit, in the hope that their authority, legitimacy, and term will never be disputed....
of the Central African Republic, instituted a new constitution at the session of the MESAN congress and declared the republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
a monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, the Central African Empire
Central African Empire
The Central African Empire was a short-lived, self-declared autocratic monarchy that replaced the Central African Republic and was, in turn, replaced by the restoration of the republic. The empire was formed when Jean-Bédel Bokassa, President of the republic, declared himself Emperor Bokassa I on...
(CAE). Bokassa became the emperor of the CAE as "Bokassa I". By 1979, French support for Bokassa had all but eroded after the government's brutal suppression of rioting in Bangui
Bangui
-Law and government:Bangui is an autonomous commune of the Central African Republic. With an area of 67 km², it is by far the smallest high-level administrative division of the CAR in area but the highest in population...
and massacre of schoolchildren who had protested against wearing the expensive, government-required school uniform
School uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
s. Dacko, who was Bokassa's personal adviser at the time, managed to leave for Paris where the French convinced him to cooperate in a coup to remove Bokassa from power and restore him to the presidency. The French successfully executed Operation Barracuda on 20–21 September 1979 and installed Dacko as president. General Kolingba (who was also the armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
) overthrew Dacko from the presidency in a bloodless coup. On 21 September 1985, Kolingba dissolved the Military Committee for National Recovery, and created the positions of Head of State and President. A constitution was adopted by a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on 21 November 1986 and Kolingba was elected to a six-year term in office. The country held a multiparty presidential election in August/September 1993. Patassé was the candidate from the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People
Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People
The Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People is a political party in the Central African Republic. It was established in Paris in 1979 by former prime minister Ange-Félix Patassé as a Central African opposition movement...
party and ran on the platform that he would pay the previously withheld salaries to soldiers and civil servants. Patassé defeated Dacko, Kolingba, Bozizé and Abel Goumba
Abel Goumba
Abel Nguéndé Goumba was a Central African political figure...
to win the election. Bozizé's second coup attempt was successful; he seized power in Bangui
Bangui
-Law and government:Bangui is an autonomous commune of the Central African Republic. With an area of 67 km², it is by far the smallest high-level administrative division of the CAR in area but the highest in population...
on 15 March 2003.
Latest election
See also
- Emperor of Central AfricaEmperor of Central AfricaThe Emperor of Central Africa was the autocratic ruler of the Central African Empire from 1976 to 1979...
- List of heads of government of the Central African Republic and Central African Empire
- List of colonial heads of Central Africa
- Lists of office-holders