# List of presidents of Syria

This is a list of presidents of Syria since 1920.

## List of officeholders
### Syria (1922–1958)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Note(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Note(s) |
| French mandate (1922–1930) ||||||||||
| Syrian Federation (1922–1925) ||||||||||
| 1 | | Subhi Bey Barakat صبحي بك بركات (1889–1939) | — | 29 June 1922 | 1 January 1925 | 2 years, 185 days | | Independent | |
| State of Syria (1925–1930) ||||||||||
| (1) | | Subhi Bey Barakat صبحي بك بركات (1889–1939) | — | 1 January 1925 | 21 December 1925 | 354 days | | Independent | |
| Vacant (21 December 1925 – 9 February 1926) ||||||||||
| — | | François Pierre-Alype فرانسوا بيير أليب (1886–1956) | — | 9 February 1926 | 28 April 1926 | 78 days | | Independent | Acting President as Envoy Extraordinary of the High Commissioner. |
| 2 | | Ahmad Nami أحمد نامي (1873–1962) | — | 28 April 1926 | 15 February 1928 | 1 year, 293 days | | Independent | |
| — | | Taj al-Din al-Hasani تاج الدين الحسني (1885–1943) | — | 15 February 1928 | 14 May 1930 | 2 years, 88 days | | Independent | |
| First Syrian Republic (1930–1950) ||||||||||
| Mandatory Syrian Republic (1930–1946) ||||||||||
| — | | Taj al-Din al-Hasani تاج الدين الحسني (1885–1943) | — | 14 May 1930 | 19 November 1931 | 1 year, 189 days | | Independent | |
| — | | Léon Solomiac ليون سولومياك (1873–1960) | — | 19 November 1931 | 11 June 1932 | 205 days | | Independent | Acting President as High Commissioner. |
| 3 | | Muhammad Ali Bey al-Abid محمد علي بك العابد (1867–1939) | — | 11 June 1932 | 21 December 1936 | 4 years, 193 days | | Independent | |
| 4 | | Hashim al-Atassi هاشم الأتاسي (1875–1960) | — | 21 December 1936 | 7 July 1939 | 2 years, 198 days | | National Bloc | |
| 5 | | Bahij al-Khatib بهيج الخطيب (1895–1981) | — | 8 July 1939 | 4 April 1941 | 1 year, 270 days | | Independent | |
| — | | Khalid al-Azm خالد العظم (1903–1965) | — | 4 April 1941 | 16 September 1941 | 165 days | | Independent | |
| 6 | | Taj al-Din al-Hasani تاج الدين الحسني (1885–1943) | — | 16 September 1941 | 17 January 1943 | 1 year, 123 days | | Independent | Hasani died in office. |
| — | | Jamil al-Ulshi جميل الألشي (1883–1951) | — | 17 January 1943 | 25 March 1943 | 67 days | | Independent | |
| 7 | | Ata Bey al-Ayyubi عطا الأيوبي (1877–1951) | — | 25 March 1943 | 17 August 1943 | 145 days | | Independent | |
| 8 | | Shukri al-Quwatli شكري القوّتلي (1891–1967) | — | 17 August 1943 | 17 April 1946 | 2 years, 68 days | | National Bloc | |
| Independent First Syrian Republic (1946–1950) ||||||||||
| (8) | | Shukri al-Quwatli شكري القوّتلي (1891–1967) | — | 17 April 1946 | 30 March 1949 | 3 years, 157 days | | National Bloc | Quwatli was ousted from power in the March 1949 coup d'état by Husni al-Za'im, his Chief of Staff. |
| (8) | | Shukri al-Quwatli شكري القوّتلي (1891–1967) | — | 17 April 1946 | 30 March 1949 | 3 years, 157 days | | National Party | Quwatli was ousted from power in the March 1949 coup d'état by Husni al-Za'im, his Chief of Staff. |
| 9 | | Husni al-Za'im حسني الزعيم (1897–1949) | 1949 | 30 March 1949 | 14 August 1949 | 137 days | | Independent (SSNP–affiliated) | Za'im was overthrown in the August 1949 coup d'état led by Adib Shishakli; Za'im was later executed on the orders of the new government. |
| — | | Sami al-Hinnawi سامي الحناوي (1898–1950) | — | 14 August 1949 | 15 August 1949 | 1 day | | Military (SSNP) | |
| 10 | | Hashim al-Atassi هاشم الأتاسي (1875–1960) | — | 15 August 1949 | 5 September 1950 | 1 year, 21 days | | People's Party | During this period, Hinnawi served as the country's de facto leader (as Chairman of the Supreme Military Council) until his overthrow in the December 1949 coup d'état [ar], led by Shishakli, who then became de facto leader as head of the Council of Colonels (later the Supreme Military Council). |
| Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) ||||||||||
| (10) | | Hashim al-Atassi هاشم الأتاسي (1875–1960) | — | 5 September 1950 | 2 December 1951 | 1 year, 88 days | | People's Party | Atassi resigned in the aftermath of the 1951 coup d'état [ar]. |
| — | | Adib Shishakli أديب الشيشكلي (1909–1964) | — | 2 December 1951 | 3 December 1951 | 1 day | | Syrian Social Nationalist Party | Acting President as Chief of the General Staff and head of the Supreme Military Council. |
| 11 | | Fawzi Selu فوزي سلو (1905–1972) | — | 3 December 1951 | 11 July 1953 | 1 year, 220 days | | Military (ALM–affiliated) | After the coup the Army Command Council announced that it was collectively assuming responsibility for government, entrusted Selu with all executive and legislative powers, and dissolved the parliament. Shishakli assumed supreme command in the country and took the office of deputy chief of staff. |
| 12 | | Adib Shishakli أديب الشيشكلي (1909–1964) | 1953 | 11 July 1953 | 25 February 1954 | 229 days | | Arab Liberation Movement | Shishakli resigned from office in the evening of 26 February 1954, amidst a coup d'état. He fled the country, claiming that he did not want Syria to fall into a civil war. |
| — | | Maamun al-Kuzbari مأمون الكزبري (1914–1998) | — | 25 February 1954 | 28 February 1954 | 3 days | | Arab Liberation Movement | |
| 13 | | Hashim al-Atassi هاشم الأتاسي (1875–1960) | — | 28 February 1954 | 6 September 1955 | 1 year, 190 days | | People's Party | |
| 14 | | Shukri al-Quwatli شكري القوّتلي (1891–1967) | 1955 | 6 September 1955 | 22 February 1958 | 2 years, 169 days | | National Party | |

### United Arab Republic (1958–1961)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party |
| 1 | | Gamal Abdel Nasser جمال عبد الناصر (1918–1970) | 1958 | 22 February 1958 | 29 September 1961 | 3 years, 219 days | | National Union |

### Syria (1961–present)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Political party | Note(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Political party | Note(s) |
| Syrian Arab Republic (1961–present) ||||||||||
| Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) ||||||||||
| — | | Maamun al-Kuzbari مأمون الكزبري (1914–1998) | — | 29 September 1961 | 20 November 1961 | 52 days | | Independent | Kuzbari took office following the 1961 coup d'état, which dissolved the United Arab Republic. |
| — | | Izzat al-Nuss عزت النص (1912–1976) | — | 20 November 1961 | 14 December 1961 | 24 days | | Military | |
| 1 | | Nazim al-Qudsi ناظم القدسي (1906–1998) | — | 14 December 1961 | 8 March 1963 | 1 year, 84 days | | People's Party | The 1963 coup d'état, an event known as the March 8 Revolution, toppled Qudsi and brought the National Council for the Revolutionary Command (NCRC) to government, although real power lay with the Ba'athist Military Committee, which organized the coup. |
| Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) ||||||||||
| Vacant (8 March 1963 – 9 March 1963) ||||||||||
| 2 | | Lu'ay al-Atassi لؤي الأتاسي (1926–2003) | — | 9 March 1963 | 27 July 1963 | 140 days | | Independent | Atassi was appointed president by the NCRC because he posed no threat to the Military Committee's power. He resigned after high-ranking non-Ba'athist officers were purged. |
| 3 | | Amin al-Hafiz أمين الحافظ (1921–2009) | — | 27 July 1963 | 23 February 1966 | 2 years, 211 days | | Ba'ath Party (Syria Region) | Hafiz was overthrown by the Military Committee because of his support for Michel Aflaq and the Ba'athist National Command. |
| Vacant (23 February 1966 – 25 February 1966) ||||||||||
| 4 | | Nureddin al-Atassi نور الدين الأتاسي (1929–1992) | — | 25 February 1966 | 18 November 1970 | 4 years, 266 days | | Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region) | Atassi was overthrown when a falling out occurred between Salah Jadid, the country's de facto leader from 1966 to 1970 as Assistant Regional Secretary of the Regional Command, and Hafez al-Assad, the Minister of Defense. Assad initiated a coup in 1970, known as the Corrective Movement. |
| — | | Ahmad al-Khatib أحمد الخطيب (1933–1982) | — | 18 November 1970 | 12 March 1971 | 114 days | | Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region) | Assad served as the country's de facto leader during this period, as head of the Temporary Regional Command and as Regional Secretary of the Regional Command. |
| 5 | | Hafez al-Assad حافظ الأسد (1930–2000) | 1971 1978 1985 1991 1999 | 12 March 1971 | 10 June 2000 | 29 years, 90 days | | Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region) | Assad died in office. |
| — | | Abdul Halim Khaddam عبدالحليم خدام (1932–2020) | — | 10 June 2000 | 17 July 2000 | 37 days | | Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region) | Khaddam constitutionally succeeded from the vice presidency, and served on an acting basis until the new confirmative referendum. |
| 6 | | Bashar al-Assad بَشَّارُ ٱلْأَسَدِ (born 1965) | 2000 2007 2014 2021 | 17 July 2000 | 8 December 2024 | 24 years, 144 days | | Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region) | Assad was overthrown during the fall of Damascus in the Syrian civil war, and fled the country to Russia. |
| Transitional period (2024–present) ||||||||||
| Vacant (8 December 2024 – 29 January 2025) ||||||||||
| 7 | | Ahmed al-Sharaa أحمد الشرع (born 1982) | — | 29 January 2025 | Incumbent | 44 days | | Independent | Sharaa served as the country's de facto leader from the overthrow of the Assad regime until his appointment as president by the Syrian General Command during the transitional period at the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference. |