View source for List of heads of state of the Comoros

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Distinguish|Governor of Grande Comore}}
{{Infobox official post
|post            = President
|body            = the<br/>Union of the Comoros
|insignia        = Seal of the Comoros.svg
|insigniasize    = 125px
|insigniacaption = [[National seal of the Comoros|National Seal]]
|native_name      = قائمة رؤساء جزر القمر<br />Président de l'Union des Comores
|image           = Fumio Kishida and Azali Assoumani before the funeral of Shinzo Abe (1) (cropped).jpg
|imagesize       = 165px
|incumbent       = [[Azali Assoumani]]
|incumbentsince  = 3 April 2019
|style           = 
|residence       = 
|appointer       = 
|termlength      = Five years,
| termlength_qualified = renewable once
| constituting_instrument = [[Constitution of the Comoros]] (2001)
|formation       = {{start date and age|df=y|1977|10|27}}
|succession      = [[#Succession|Line of succession]]
|inaugural       = [[Ahmed Abdallah]] (State of the Comoros; First president of the Federal and Islamic Republic of the Comoros)<br />[[Ali Soilih]] (State of the Comoros; First president)<br />[[Azali Assoumani]] (Union of the Comoros)
|deputy          = ''Abolished'', [[Vice-President of the Comoros]]
|salary          = 53,557,291 [[Comorian franc]]s/117,060 USD annually<ref name="africabusinessdaily">{{cite web|url=https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/The-highest-and-lowest-paid-African-presidents/539546-4129430-cbmf8iz/index.html|title=The highest and lowest paid African presidents – Business Daily|date=27 December 2020 |publisher=Business Daily}}</ref>
|website         = [https://www.beit-salam.km/ Presidency of the Comoros official site]
}}

{{Politics of Comoros}}

This article lists the '''heads of state of the [[Comoros]]''', since the country gained independence from [[France]] in 1975.

==Term limits==
A new constitution, approved in the [[2018 Comorian constitutional referendum|2018 constitutional referendum]], allows the president to run for two consecutive five-year terms. Previously during the time of the Union of the Comoros, there was a one-term rotational system in place to share the presidency between [[Anjouan]], [[Grande Comore]], and [[Mohéli]].<ref name="termlimits">{{cite web |last1=Cook |first1=Candace |last2=Siegle |first2=Joseph |title=Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa |url=https://africacenter.org/spotlight/circumvention-of-term-limits-weakens-governance-in-africa/ |website=Africa Center for Strategic Studies}}</ref>

==List of officeholders==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan=2| {{abbr|No.|Number}}
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
! rowspan=2| Title
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Political party
|-
!Took office
!Left office
!Time in office
|-align=center
|colspan="8" bgcolor="lightgrey"| {{flagicon image|Flag of the Comoros (1963–1975).svg}}/{{flagicon|Comoros|1975}} • '''[[State of the Comoros]]''' (''État Comorien'')
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 1
| image             = Portait officiel du président Abdallah (cropped).jpg
| officeholder      = [[Ahmed Abdallah]]
| born_year         = 1919
| died_year         = 1989
| title             = President of the Government<br />{{small|(until 7 July 1975)}}<hr>Head of State
| term_start        = 6 July 1975
| term_end          = 3 August 1975
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1975|07|06|1975|08|03}}
| alt_party         = Comorian Democratic Union
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 2
| image             = Seal of the Comoros (1975-1978).svg
| officeholder      = [[Said Mohamed Jaffar]]
| born_year         = 1918
| died_year         = 1993
| title             = Chairman of the National Council of the Revolution<br />{{small|(until 10 August 1975)}}<hr>Chairman of the National Executive Council
| term_start        = 3 August 1975
| term_end          = 3 January 1976
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1975|08|03|1976|01|03}}
| alt_party         = Democratic Rally of the Comorian People
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 3
| image             = Seal of the Comoros (1975-1978).svg
| officeholder      = [[Ali Soilih]]
| born_year         = 1937
| died_year         = 1978
| title             = Head of State<br />{{small|(until 28 October 1977)}}<hr>President
| term_start        = 3 January 1976
| term_end          = 13 May 1978
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1976|01|03|1978|05|13}}
| alt_party         = Democratic Rally of the Comorian People
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 4
| image             = Seal of the Comoros (1975-1978).svg
| officeholder      = [[Said Atthoumani]]
| born_year         = 
| died_year         = 
| title             = Chairman of the Politico-Military Directorate
| term_start        = 13 May 1978
| term_end          = 23 May 1978
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1978|05|13|1978|05|23}}
| alt_party         = Independent politician
}}
|-align=center
|colspan="8" bgcolor="lightgrey"| {{flagicon|Comoros|1978}}/{{flagicon|Comoros|1992}}/{{flagicon|Comoros|1996}} • '''[[History of the Comoros (1978–1989)|Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros]]'''<br />(''République fédérale islamique des Comores'') (''Jumhuriyat al-Qumur al-Itthadiyah al-Islamiyah'')
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = Seal of the Comoros (1978-2016).svg
| officeholder      = [[Ahmed Abdallah]] {{nobold|&}} [[Mohamed Ahmed (Comorian politician)|Mohamed Ahmed]]
| officeholder_note = {{small|(1919–1989) (1917–1984)}}
| born_year         = 
| died_year         = 
| title             = Co-Chairmen of the Politico-Military Directorate<br />{{small|(until 22 July 1978)}}<hr>Co-Chairmen of the Directorate
| term_start        = 23 May 1978 
| term_end          = 3 October 1978
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1978|05|23|1978|10|03}}
| alt_party         = Comorian Democratic Union
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{small|(1)}}
| image             = Portait officiel du président Abdallah (cropped).jpg
| officeholder      = [[Ahmed Abdallah]]
| born_year         = 1919
| died_year         = 1989
| died              = y
| title             = Chairman of the Directorate<br />{{small|(until 25 October 1978)}}<hr>President
| term_start        = 3 October 1978
| term_end          = 26 November 1989
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1978|10|03|1989|11|26}}
| alt_party         = Comorian Democratic Union
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = Said Mohamed Djohar - 1991.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Said Mohamed Djohar]]
| born_year         = 1919
| died_year         = 2006
| title             = Acting President
| term_start        = 27 November 1989
| term_end          = 20 March 1990
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1989|11|27|1990|03|20}}
| acting            = y
| alt_party         = Comorian Democratic Union
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 5
| image             = Said Mohamed Djohar - 1991.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Said Mohamed Djohar]]
| born_year         = 1919
| died_year         = 2006
| title             = President
| term_start        = 20 March 1990
| term_end          = 29 September 1995
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1990|03|20|1995|09|29}}
| alt_party         = Comorian Union for Progress
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = Seal of the Comoros (1978-2016).svg
| officeholder      = [[Combo Ayouba]]
| born_year         = {{Circa|1952}}
| died_year         = 2010
| title             = Coordinator of the Transitional Military Committee
| term_start        = 29 September 1995
| term_end          = 2 October 1995
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1995|09|29|1995|10|02}}
| alt_party         = Military
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = Seal of the Comoros (1978-2016).svg
| officeholder      = [[Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim]] {{nobold|&}} [[Said Ali Kemal]]
| officeholder_note = {{small|(1936–1998) (1938–2020)}}
| title             = Acting President
| term_start        = 2 October 1995
| term_end          = 5 October 1995
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1995|10|02|1995|10|05}}
| acting            = y
| alt_party         = National Union for Democracy (Comoros)
| alt_party2        = Party of Unity and Fraternity of the Islands
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = Caabi El-Yachroutu Mohamed (cropped).jpg
| officeholder      = [[Caabi El-Yachroutu Mohamed]]
| born_year         = 1949
| died_year         = 
| title             = Interim President
| term_start        = 5 October 1995 
| term_end          = 26 January 1996
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1995|10|05|1996|01|26}}
| acting            = y
| alt_party         = Rally for Democracy and Renewal
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{small|(5)}}
| image             = Said Mohamed Djohar - 1991.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Said Mohamed Djohar]]
| born_year         = 1919
| died_year         = 2006
| title             = President
| term_start        = 26 January 1996
| term_end          = 25 March 1996
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1996|01|26|1996|03|25}}
| alt_party         = Rally for Democracy and Renewal
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 6
| image             = Président TAKI.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim]]
| born_year         = 1936 
| died_year         = 1998
| died              = y
| title             = President
| term_start        = 25 March 1996
| term_end          = 6 November 1998
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1996|03|25|1998|11|06}}
| alt_party         = Rally for Democracy and Renewal
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = Seal of the Comoros (1978-2016).svg
| officeholder      = [[Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde|Tadjidine Massounde]]
| born_year         = 1933
| died_year         = 2004
| title             = Interim President
| term_start        = 6 November 1998
| term_end          = 30 April 1999
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1998|11|06|1999|04|30}}
| acting            = y
| alt_party         = Independent politician
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 7
| image             = President Azali Assoumani.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Azali Assoumani]]
| military_rank     = [[Colonel]]
| born_year         = 1959
| died_year         = 
| title             = Chief of Staff of the National Development Army<br />{{small|(until 6 May 1999)}}<hr>Head of State
| term_start        = 30 April 1999
| term_end          = 23 December 2001
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1999|04|30|2001|12|23}}
| alt_party         = Military
}}
|-align=center
|colspan="8" bgcolor="lightgrey"| {{flagicon|Comoros}} • '''[[Comoros|Union of the Comoros]]'''<br />(''Union des Comores'') / الاتحاد القمر (''dzima wa Komori'')
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{small|(7)}}
| image             = President Azali Assoumani.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Azali Assoumani]]
| military_rank     = [[Colonel]]
| born_year         = 1959
| died_year         = 
| title             = Head of State
| term_start        = 23 December 2001
| term_end          = 21 January 2002
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2001|12|23|2002|01|21}}
| alt_party         = Military
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = Hamada Madi 2018.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Hamada Madi]]
| officeholder_note = <ref>{{Cite book |title=Chiefs of State and Cabinet members of foreign governments |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date=2003 |hdl = 2027/osu.32435083447862 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>
| born_year         = 1965
| died_year         = 
| title             = Interim President
| term_start        = 21 January 2002
| term_end          = 26 May 2002
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2002|01|21|2002|05|26}}
| acting            = y
| alt_party         = Republican Party (Comoros)
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{small|(7)}}
| image             = President Azali Assoumani.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Azali Assoumani]]
| born_year         = 1959
| died_year         = 
| title             = President
| term_start        = 26 May 2002
| term_end          = 26 May 2006
| timeinoffice      = 4 years
| alt_party         = Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 8
| image             = Sambi.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi|Ahmed Sambi]]
| born_year         = 1958
| died_year         = 
| title             = President
| term_start        = 26 May 2006
| term_end          = 26 May 2011
| timeinoffice      = 5 years
| alt_party         = Independent politician
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = 9
| image             = Ikililou Dhoinine 2012.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Ikililou Dhoinine]]
| born_year         = 1962
| died_year         = 
| title             = President
| term_start        = 26 May 2011
| term_end          = 26 May 2016
| timeinoffice      = 5 years
| alt_party         = Baobab Movement
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{small|(7)}}
| image             = President Azali Assoumani.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Azali Assoumani]]
| born_year         = 1959
| died_year         = 
| title             = President
| term_start        = 26 May 2016
| term_end          = 13 February 2019
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2016|05|26|2019|02|13}}
| alt_party         = Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = –
| image             = M. Moustadroine Abdou (cropped).jpg
| officeholder      = [[Moustadroine Abdou]]
| born_year         = 1969
| died_year         = 
| title             = Interim President
| term_start        = 13 February 2019
| term_end          = 3 April 2019
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2019|02|13|2019|04|03}}
| acting            = y
| alt_party         = Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{small|(7)}}
| image             = President Azali Assoumani.jpg
| officeholder      = [[Azali Assoumani]]
| born_year         = 1959
| died_year         = 
| title             = President
| term_start        = 3 April 2019
| term_end          = Incumbent
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|2019|04|03}}
| alt_party         = Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros
}}
|}

==Timeline==
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:17
PlotArea  = top:10 bottom:80 right:150 left:20
AlignBars = late

Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}

Colors =
  id:independent value:rgb(0.710,0.710,0.710) legend:None_(Independent)
  id:military    value:rgb(0.76,0.69,0.57)    legend:Military
  id:udc         value:rgb(0.24,0.56,0.2)     legend:UDC
  id:rdpc        value:rgb(0.7,0.8,0.9)       legend:RDPC
  id:ucp         value:rgb(0.47,0.73,0.06)    legend:UCP
  id:shuma       value:rgb(0.05,0.53,0.28)    legend:SHUMA
  id:und         value:rgb(0.48,0.57,0.53)    legend:UND
  id:rdr         value:rgb(0,0.65,0.32)       legend:RDR
  id:prc         value:rgb(0.8,0.2,0.33)      legend:PRC
  id:crc         value:rgb(0.18,0.31,0.65)    legend:CRC
  id:fnj         value:rgb(0.29,0.47,0.19)    legend:FNJ

  id:gray1  value:gray(0.85)
  id:gray2  value:gray(0.95)

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/01/1975 till:$today
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:5 start:1975
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1975

Legend     = columns:1 left:150 top:35 columnwidth:170
 
TextData =
  pos:(20,38) textcolor:black fontsize:M
  text:"Political party:"

BarData =
 bar:Abdallah
 bar:Jaffar
 bar:Soilih
 bar:Atthoumani
 bar:Ahmed
 bar:Djohar
 bar:Ayouba
 bar:Kemal
 bar:Abdoulkarim
 bar:Mohamed
 bar:Massounde
 bar:Assoumani
 bar:Madi
 bar:Sambi
 bar:Dhoinine
 bar:Abdou

PlotData =
  width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till

 bar:Abdallah
  from: 06/07/1975 till: 03/08/1975 color:udc
  from: 23/05/1978 till: 26/11/1989 color:udc         text:"[[Ahmed Abdallah]]"
 bar:Jaffar
  from: 03/08/1975 till: 03/01/1976 color:rdpc        text:"[[Said Mohamed Jaffar]]"
 bar:Soilih
  from: 03/01/1976 till: 13/05/1978 color:rdpc        text:"[[Ali Soilih]]"
 bar:Atthoumani
  from: 13/05/1978 till: 23/05/1978 color:independent text:"[[Said Atthoumani]]"
 bar:Ahmed
  from: 23/05/1978 till: 03/10/1978 color:udc         text:"[[Mohamed Ahmed (Comorian politician)|Mohamed Ahmed]]"
 bar:Djohar
  from: 26/11/1989 till: 20/03/1990 color:udc
  from: 20/03/1990 till: 29/09/1995 color:ucp
  from: 26/01/1996 till: 25/03/1996 color:rdr         text:"[[Said Mohamed Djohar]]"
 bar:Ayouba
  from: 29/09/1995 till: 02/10/1995 color:military    text:"[[Combo Ayouba]]"
 bar:Kemal
  from: 02/10/1995 till: 05/10/1995 color:shuma       text:"[[Said Ali Kemal]] (acting)"
 bar:Abdoulkarim
  from: 02/10/1995 till: 05/10/1995 color:und
  from: 25/03/1996 till: 06/11/1998 color:rdr         text:"[[Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim]]"
 bar:Mohamed
  from: 05/10/1995 till: 26/01/1996 color:rdr         text:"[[Caabi El-Yachroutu Mohamed]] (acting)"
 bar:Massounde
  from: 06/11/1998 till: 30/04/1999 color:independent text:"[[Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde]] (acting)"
 bar:Assoumani
  from: 30/04/1999 till: 21/01/2002 color:military
  from: 26/05/2002 till: 26/05/2006 color:crc
  from: 26/05/2016 till: 03/02/2019 color:crc
  from: 26/05/2019 till: $today     color:crc         text:"[[Azali Assoumani]]"
 bar:Madi
  from: 21/01/2002 till: 26/05/2002 color:prc         text:"[[Hamada Madi]] (acting)"
 bar:Sambi
  from: 26/05/2006 till: 26/05/2011 color:fnj         text:"[[Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi]]"
 bar:Dhoinine
  from: 26/05/2011 till: 26/05/2016 color:fnj         text:"[[Ikililou Dhoinine]]"
 bar:Abdou
  from: 03/02/2019 till: 26/05/2019 color:crc         text:"[[Moustadroine Abdou]] (acting)"

}}

==Succession==
Article 58<ref>{{cite web|url=https://alwatwan.net/politique/lint%C3%A9gralit%C3%A9-du-projet-de-r%C3%A9vision-de-la-constitution-de-lunion-des-comores.html|title=L'intégralité du projet de révision de la constitution de l'Union des Comores|date=10 November 2023 |publisher=Al-watwan – Le premier journal des Comores}}</ref> 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 within the first 900 days of the term, the cabinet ministers and other members of the government select among the ministers a "main 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 currently holding the presidency will assume the presidency until the end of the original five-year presidential term, at which point regular elections are held.

==Latest election==
{{main|2024 Comorian presidential election}}
{{Election results
|cand1=[[Azali Assoumani]]|party1=[[Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros]]|votes1=99541
|cand2=Salim Issa Abdillah|party2=[[Juwa Party]]|votes2=19325
|cand3={{ill|Mohamed Daoudou|fr}}|party3=[[Orange Party]]|votes3=17854
|cand4=[[Bourhane Hamidou]]|party4=Independent|votes4=17569
|cand5=[[Mouigni Baraka]]|party5=[[Democratic Rally of the Comoros]]|votes5=17497
|cand6=Aboudou Soefou|party6={{abbr|TSASI|Travail, sacrifices et actions salutaires contre les injustices}}|votes6=2796|color6=#1f7246
|invalid=16715
|electorate=338940
|source={{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240215012606/https://ceni-comores.org/dists/documents/20240125135901.pdf CENI]}}
}}

==See also==
* [[History of the Comoros]]
* [[Politics of the Comoros]]
* [[List of sultans in the Comoros]]
* [[List of colonial governors of the Comoros]]
* [[List of prime ministers of the Comoros]]
* [[Vice-President of the Comoros]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.beit-salam.km/ Presidency of the Comoros official site]
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Comoros.html World Statesmen – Comoros]

{{Comoros presidents}}
{{Comoros topics}}
{{Heads of state and government of African states}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comoros heads of state}}

[[Category:Heads of state of the Comoros|*]]
[[Category:Political history of the Comoros|Heads of state]]
[[Category:Lists of national presidents|c]]
[[Category:Comoros politics-related lists|Heads of state]]
[[Category:1977 establishments in the Comoros|Heads of state]]
[[Category:Lists of heads of state|Comoros]]