# List of heads of state of the Central African Republic

This article lists the heads of state of the Central African Republic. There have been seven heads of state of the Central African Republic and the Central African Empire since independence was obtained from France on 13 August 1960. This list includes not only those persons who were sworn into office as President of the 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 (and also reigned as emperor from 1976 to 1979), while David Dacko (who served as de facto head of state from 1979 to 1981), André Kolingba, Ange-Félix Patassé, and François Bozizé were elected into office at some point during their tenure. To date, Kolingba is the only former head of state of the Central African Republic to voluntarily step down from the office through a democratic process, following the 1993 general election.
The current president of the Central African Republic is Faustin-Archange Touadéra, since 30 March 2016.

## Succession

Before the adoption of the 2023 constitution, the president of the National Assembly was the constitutional successor of the president in the event of a vacancy.

## Term

Before the adoption of the 2023 constitution, there was a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of the Central African Republic. The term limit was not met by any president. The constitution of 2023 removed term-limits and extended the presidential term from five years to seven years.

## List of officeholders
### Other affiliations

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political affiliations | Political affiliations | Notes |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political affiliations | Political affiliations | Notes |
| Central African Republic (1960–1976) ||||||||||
| — | | David Dacko (1930–2003) President of the Provisional Government | — | 14 August 1960 | 12 December 1960 | 5 years, 140 days | | MESAN | Dacko served as president of the government from 1 May 1959 until the country declared its independence on 13 August 1960. |
| 1 | | David Dacko (1930–2003) President | 1964 | 12 December 1960 | 1 January 1966 | 5 years, 140 days | | MESAN | Dacko served as president of the government from 1 May 1959 until the country declared its independence on 13 August 1960. |
| 2 | | Jean-Bédel Bokassa (1921–1996) President | — | 1 January 1966 | 4 December 1976 | 10 years, 338 days | | Military | Bokassa seized power from Dacko in a successful coup d'état. He changed his name to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa after converting to Islam on 20 October 1976. |
| 2 | | Jean-Bédel Bokassa (1921–1996) President | — | 1 January 1966 | 4 December 1976 | 10 years, 338 days | | MESAN | Bokassa seized power from Dacko in a successful coup d'état. He changed his name to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa after converting to Islam on 20 October 1976. |
| Central African Empire (1976–1979) ||||||||||
| 1 | | Bokassa I (1921–1996) Emperor | — | 4 December 1976 | 21 September 1979 | 2 years, 291 days | | MESAN | Bokassa spent approximately US$20 million—one third of the country's annual budget—on his coronation ceremony on 4 December 1977. |
| Central African Republic (1979–present) ||||||||||
| 3 | | David Dacko (1930–2003) President | 1981 | 21 September 1979 | 1 September 1981 | 1 year, 345 days | | MESAN | This was Dacko's second time as president of the Central African Republic. In February 1980, Dacko established the Central African Democratic Union (UDC) as the country's only political party. |
| 3 | | David Dacko (1930–2003) President | 1981 | 21 September 1979 | 1 September 1981 | 1 year, 345 days | | UDC | This was Dacko's second time as president of the Central African Republic. In February 1980, Dacko established the Central African Democratic Union (UDC) as the country's only political party. |
| — | | André Kolingba (1936–2010) Chairman of the Military Committee of National Recovery | — | 1 September 1981 | 21 September 1985 | 12 years, 51 days | | Military | Kolingba seized power from Dacko in a successful coup d'état. Ange-Félix Patassé, with the assistance of François Bozizé, launched an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Kolingba government on 3 March 1982. |
| — | | André Kolingba (1936–2010) President and head of state | — | 21 September 1985 | 21 November 1986 | 12 years, 51 days | | Military | Kolingba established the Central African Democratic Rally (RDC) as the country's only party in May 1986. |
| — | | André Kolingba (1936–2010) President and head of state | — | 21 September 1985 | 21 November 1986 | 12 years, 51 days | | RDC | Kolingba established the Central African Democratic Rally (RDC) as the country's only party in May 1986. |
| 4 | | André Kolingba (1936–2010) President | 1986 | 21 November 1986 | 22 October 1993 | 12 years, 51 days | | RDC | Kolingba established the Central African Democratic Rally (RDC) as the country's only party in May 1986. |
| 5 | | Ange-Félix Patassé (1937–2011) President | 1993 1999 | 22 October 1993 | 15 March 2003 | 9 years, 144 days | | MLPC | Bozizé launched an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Patassé government on 28 May 2001. |
| 6 | | François Bozizé (born 1946) President | 2005 2011 | 15 March 2003 | 24 March 2013 | 10 years, 9 days | | Military | Bozizé seized power from Patassé in a successful coup d'état. Shortly after, he appointed Abel Goumba as prime minister. Goumba had served as acting prime minister in 1959, before being overthrown by Dacko. |
| 6 | | François Bozizé (born 1946) President | 2005 2011 | 15 March 2003 | 24 March 2013 | 10 years, 9 days | | Independent | Bozizé seized power from Patassé in a successful coup d'état. Shortly after, he appointed Abel Goumba as prime minister. Goumba had served as acting prime minister in 1959, before being overthrown by Dacko. |
| 7 | | Michel Djotodia (born 1949) President | — | 24 March 2013 | 18 August 2013 | 292 days | | Military | Djotodia was the leader of the Séléka rebel coalition in the ongoing civil war. |
| — | | Michel Djotodia (born 1949) Head of State of the Transition | — | 18 August 2013 | 10 January 2014 | 292 days | | Military | Djotodia was the leader of the Séléka rebel coalition in the ongoing civil war. |
| — | | Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet (born 1972) Acting Head of State of the Transition | — | 10 January 2014 | 23 January 2014 | 13 days | | RPR | Nguendet succeeded Djotodia after his resignation due to the continued conflict. |
| — | | Catherine Samba-Panza (born 1954) Head of State of the Transition | — | 23 January 2014 | 30 March 2016 | 2 years, 67 days | | Independent | Samba-Panza became the first female head of state of the Central African Republic. |
| 8 | | Faustin-Archange Touadéra (born 1957) President | 2015–16 2020–21 | 30 March 2016 | Incumbent | 8 years, 352 days | | Independent | Previously, Touadéra served as prime minister under Bozizé from 2008 until 2013. |
| 8 | | Faustin-Archange Touadéra (born 1957) President | 2015–16 2020–21 | 30 March 2016 | Incumbent | 8 years, 352 days | | MCU | Previously, Touadéra served as prime minister under Bozizé from 2008 until 2013. |

## Footnotes

* $^A$ Dacko became the official President of the Central African Republic after defeating Abel Goumba in an internal power struggle. Dacko had support from the French government.
* $^B$ 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.
* $^C$ 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 one-party rule under MESAN.
* $^D$ 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".
* $^E$ 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 uniforms. 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.
* $^F$ General Kolingba (who was also the armed forces chief of staff) overthrew Dacko from the presidency in a bloodless coup.
* $^G$ On 21 September 1985, Kolingba dissolved the Military Committee for National Recovery, and created the positions of head of state and president.
* $^H$ A constitution was adopted by a referendum on 21 November 1986 and Kolingba was elected to a six-year term in office.
* $^I$ The country held a multiparty presidential election on 22 August and 19 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.
* $^J$ Bozizé's second coup attempt was successful; he seized power in Bangui on 15 March 2003.
* $^K$ Djotodia ousted Bozizé in the 2012–13 conflict; he seized power in Bangui on 24 March 2013.
* $^L$ Under pressure from other central African heads of state gathered for a crisis summit on the situation in CAR, Djotodia resigned in N'Djamena, Chad on 10 January 2014.

## Latest election

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Faustin-Archange Touadéra | United Hearts Movement | 318,626 | 53.16 |
| | Anicet-Georges Dologuélé | Union for Central African Renewal | 130,017 | 21.69 |
| | Martin Ziguélé | Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People | 45,206 | 7.54 |
| | Désiré Kolingba | Central African Democratic Rally | 22,157 | 3.70 |
| | Crépin Mboli Goumba | PATRIE | 19,271 | 3.21 |
| | Sylvain Patassé | Central Africa New Momentum | 8,760 | 1.46 |
| | Augustin Agou | Renaissance for Sustainable Development | 8,436 | 1.41 |
| | Jean-Serge Bokassa | Kodro Ti Mo Kozo Si | 7,870 | 1.31 |
| | Mahamat Kamoun | Central Africa for All of Us | 7,536 | 1.26 |
| | Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet | Rally for the Republic | 6,668 | 1.11 |
| | Karim Meckassoua | Path of Hope | 5,099 | 0.85 |
| | Éloi Anguimaté | National Convention | 5,078 | 0.85 |
| | Catherine Samba-Panza | Independent | 3,710 | 0.62 |
| | Serge Djorie | CAPNCA | 3,392 | 0.57 |
| | Cyriaque Gonda | National Party for a New Central Africa | 2,973 | 0.50 |
| | Aristide Reboas | Christian Democratic Party | 2,454 | 0.41 |
| | Nicolas Tiangaye | Republican Convention for Social Progress | 2,163 | 0.36 |
| Total | Total | Total | 599,416 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 599,416 | 91.51 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 55,638 | 8.49 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 655,054 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,858,236 | 35.25 |
| Source: Constitutional Court |||||