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This is a list of theheads of state ofTanzania, from the independence ofTanganyika in 1961 to the present day.
From 1961 to 1962 the head of state under theConstitution of 1961 was thequeen of Tanganyika,Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of otherCommonwealth realms. The monarch was represented in Tanganyika by a governor-general. Tanganyika became arepublic within the Commonwealth under the Constitution of 1962 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by an executive president. After theZanzibar Revolution, which overthrew theSultanate of Zanzibar in January 1964, thePeople's Republic of Zanzibar united with mainlandTanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which was later renamed to the United Republic of Tanzania.
The succession to the throne was the same as thesuccession to the British throne.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Royal House | Prime minister(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | _(cropped)_(3-to-4_aspect_ratio).jpg) | QueenElizabeth II (1926–2022) | 9 December 1961 | 9 December 1962 | 1 year | Windsor | Nyerere Kawawa |
The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Tanganyika 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 Tanganyika was granted independence by theTanganyika Independence Act 1961 (10 & 11 Eliz. 2. c. 1), rather than being first established as a semi-autonomousdominion and later promoted to independence as defined by theStatute of Westminster 1931, the governor-general was to be always appointed solely on the advice of theCabinet of Tanganyika without the involvement of the British government. As Tanganyika became a republic before Richard Turnbull, the former colonial governor, was replaced, this has never happened. In the event of a vacancy thechief justice would have served as theofficer administering the government.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch | Prime minister(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 |  | Sir Richard Turnbull (1909–1998) | 9 December 1961 | 9 December 1962 | 1 year | Elizabeth II | Nyerere Kawawa |
§ Elected unopposed
† Died in office
Under the Constitution of 1962, the first constitution of theRepublic of Tanganyika, the president replaced the monarch as executive head of state. In the event of a vacancy the Vice-President of Tanganyika served as acting president.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | .jpg) | Julius Nyerere (1922–1999) | 1962 | 9 December 1962 | 29 October 1964 | 1 year, 325 days | TANU | |
Under the Constitution of 1964, the first constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, the president replaced the president of Tanganyika and thepresident of Zanzibar as executive head of state. The president was elected by a yes-or-no confirmation referendum for a five-year term after being nominated by a TANU/CCM electoral college. Following the restoration of a multi-party system in 1992, multi-candidate elections were introduced in 1995, with the president elected viaFirst-past-the-post voting.[1] In the event of a vacancy thevice-president serves as president for the remainder of the presidential term.
Former presidentJohn Magufuli took a monthly salary of 9 millionTanzanian shillings (approximately USD $4,000).[2]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Prime minister(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| 1 | | Julius Nyerere (1922–1999) | 1965[§] 1970[§] 1975[§] | 1 November 1964 | 5 November 1985 | 21 years, 4 days | TANU (until 1977) | Kawawa | |
| 1980[§] | CCM | Kawawa Sokoine Msuya Sokoine Salim | |||||||
| 2 |  | Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1925–2024) | 1985[§] 1990 | 5 November 1985 | 23 November 1995 | 10 years, 18 days | CCM | Warioba Malecela Msuya | |
| 3 |  | Benjamin Mkapa (1938–2020) | 1995 2000 | 23 November 1995 | 21 December 2005 | 10 years, 28 days | CCM | Msuya Sumaye | |
| 4 | _(cropped).jpg) | Jakaya Kikwete (born 1950) | 2005 2010 | 21 December 2005 | 5 November 2015 | 9 years, 319 days | CCM | Sumaye Lowassa Pinda | |
| 5 |  | John Magufuli (1959–2021) | 2015 2020 | 5 November 2015 | 17 March 2021[†] | 5 years, 132 days | CCM | Majaliwa | |
| 6 | _(Suluhu_crop).jpg) | Samia Suluhu Hassan (born 1960) | 2025 | 19 March 2021[3] | Incumbent | 4 years, 253 days | CCM | Majaliwa Nchemba | |
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| Queen ofTanganyika (1961–1962) | .svg)  | |
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| President of Tanganyika (1962–1964) | ||
| Tanzania* (from 1964) | ||
*Merger ofTanganyika andZanzibar | ||