Presidency of the Republic of the Sudan | |
---|---|
رئاسة الجمهورية السودان (Arabic) | |
![]() | |
Executive branch of the Sudanese Government Head of state of the Republic of the Sudan | |
Residence | Republican Palace, Khartoum (Chairman) |
Formation | 17 November 1958 |
First holder | Five-member Sovereignty Council (collective presidency) |
Salary | 29,320 USD annually [1] |
Website | www |
![]() |
---|
|
This article lists the heads of state of Sudan since the country's independence in 1956.
Since independence was proclaimed on 1 January 1956, six individuals (and three multi-member sovereignty councils) have served as head of state of Sudan, currently under the title President of the Republic of the Sudan. Prior to independence, Sudan was governed as a condominium by Egypt and the United Kingdom, under the name Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. As such, executive power was vested in a dyarchy consisting of both countries' heads of state – at the time of independence, the Queen of the United Kingdom (Elizabeth II) and the Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council (headed by Gamal Abdel Nasser). Immediately following independence, the role of head of state was filled by a five-member Sovereignty Council, with rival nationalist factions unable to agree on a single candidate. In November 1958, General Ibrahim Abboud led a military coup d'état, assuming the role of head of state as Chairman of the Supreme Council. Assuming the title of president in 1964, he resigned later that year due to general discontent around the rule of the military regime. Abboud was succeeded by a senior civil servant, Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa, who served as acting president for 18 days before transferring executive authority to a Committee of Sovereignty.
Ismail al-Azhari, the leader of the National Unionist Party, was made president in July 1965; he ruled with limited power until he was deposed in a 1969 military coup. The military officers responsible for the coup established the National Revolutionary Command Council, chaired by Jaafar Nimeiry. Nimeiry, the leader of the newly formed Sudanese Socialist Union, assumed the position of president in 1971, and subsequently established a one-party state, which existed until 1985, when a group of military officers overthrew his government and established the 1985 Transitional Military Council, led by Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab. Ahmed al-Mirghani succeeded to the relatively powerless position of Chairman of the Supreme Council in 1986, after multi-party election held that year. He was deposed in a 1989 military coup led by Lieutenant-General Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir served as head of state, under the title of Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation from 1989 to 1993 and as president from 1993 to 2019 (and from 1996 as the leader of the National Congress Party).
Al-Bashir was removed from power by the Sudanese Armed Forces on 11 April 2019, amid the Sudanese Revolution after holding the office for nearly 30 years. Lieutenant-General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf took control of Sudan without becoming head of state, established the 2019 Transitional Military Council, but resigned the following day in favor of Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. [2] The Transitional Military Council was replaced with the Transitional Sovereignty Council on 20 August 2019, under the chairmanship of al-Burhan. The Sovereignty Council, an 11-member civilian-military collective head of state, is designed to lead the country for 39 months in the transition to democracy, which is supposed to end with the next general election. [3] The Transitional Sovereignty Council was dissolved by al-Burhan on 25 October 2021, following a coup d'état. [4] Al-Burhan reinstated it on 11 November 2021, with some members replaced. [5]
As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Sudan. The term limit has not been met by any president yet. [6]
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
Republic of Sudan (1956–1969) | |||||||
1 | ![]() | Sovereignty Council [lower-alpha 1] | — | 1 January 1956 | 17 November 1958 ( deposed ) | 2 years, 320 days | Multipartisan |
2 | ![]() | Ibrahim Abboud (1900–1983) | — | 17 November 1958 | 16 November 1964 (resigned) | 5 years, 365 days | Military |
— | ![]() | Sirr Al-Khatim Al-Khalifa (1919–2006) Acting President | — | 16 November 1964 | 3 December 1964 | 17 days | National Umma Party |
3 | ![]() | First Committee of Sovereignty [lower-alpha 2] | — | 3 December 1964 | 10 June 1965 | 189 days | Multipartisan |
4 | Second Committee of Sovereignty [lower-alpha 3] | 10 June 1965 | 8 July 1965 | 28 days | |||
5 | ![]() | Ismail al-Azhari (1900–1969) | — | 8 July 1965 | 25 May 1969 ( deposed ) | 3 years, 321 days | Democratic Unionist Party |
Democratic Republic of Sudan (1969–1985) | |||||||
6 | ![]() | Gaafar Nimeiry (1928–2009) [lower-alpha 4] | 1971 [lower-alpha 5] 1977 1983 | 25 May 1969 | 6 April 1985 ( deposed ) | 15 years, 316 days | Military / Sudanese Socialist Union |
Republic of Sudan (1985–2019) | |||||||
7 | ![]() | Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab (1934–2018) | — | 6 April 1985 | 6 May 1986 [lower-alpha 6] | 1 year, 30 days | Military |
8 | ![]() | Ahmed al-Mirghani (1941–2008) | — | 6 May 1986 | 30 June 1989 ( deposed ) | 3 years, 55 days | Democratic Unionist Party |
9 | ![]() | Omar al-Bashir (born 1944) | 1996 2000 2010 2015 | 30 June 1989 | 11 April 2019 ( deposed ) | 29 years, 285 days | Military / National Congress Party |
Transitional period (2019–present) | |||||||
10 | ![]() | Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf (born 1957) | — | 11 April 2019 | 12 April 2019 ( resigned ) | 1 day | Military / National Congress Party |
11 | ![]() | Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (born 1961) | — | 12 April 2019 | 20 August 2019 | 130 days | Military |
12 | ![]() | Transitional Sovereignty Council [lower-alpha 7] | — | 20 August 2019 | 25 October 2021 ( deposed ) | 2 years, 66 days | Multipartisan (FFC and TMC) |
(11) | ![]() | Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (born 1961) | — | 25 October 2021 | 11 November 2021 | 17 days | Military |
(12) | ![]() | Transitional Sovereignty Council [lower-alpha 8] | — | 11 November 2021 [5] | Incumbent | 2 years, 286 days | Multipartisan |
Currently, the politics of Sudan takes place in the framework of a federal provisional government. Previously, a president was head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces in a de jure multi-party system. Legislative power was officially vested in both the government and in the two chambers, the National Assembly (lower) and the Council of States (higher), of the bicameral National Legislature. The judiciary is independent and obtained by the Constitutional Court. However, following a deadly civil war and the still ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan was widely recognized as a totalitarian state where all effective political power was held by President Omar al-Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP). However, al-Bashir and the NCP were ousted in a military coup which occurred on April 11, 2019. The government of Sudan was then led by the Transitional Military Council or TMC. On 20 August 2019, the TMC dissolved giving its authority over to the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, who were planned to govern for 39 months until 2022, in the process of transitioning to democracy. However, the Sovereignty Council and the Sudanese government were dissolved in October 2021.
The Government of Sudan is the federal provisional government created by the Constitution of Sudan having executive, parliamentary, and the judicial branches. Previously, a president was head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces in a de jure multi-party system. Legislative power was officially vested in both the government and in the two houses – the National Assembly (lower) and the Council of States (upper) – of the bicameral National Legislature. The judiciary is independent and obtained by the Constitutional Court. However, following the Second Sudanese Civil War and the still ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan was widely recognized as a totalitarian state where all effective political power was held by President Omar al-Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP). However, al-Bashir and the NCP were ousted in a military coup on April 11, 2019. The government of Sudan was then led by the Transitional Military Council (TMC). On 20 August 2019, the TMC dissolved giving its authority over to the Transitional Sovereignty Council, who were planned to govern for 39 months until 2022, in the process of transitioning to democracy. However, the Sovereignty Council and the Sudanese government were dissolved in October 2021.
The Sudanese Communist Party is a communist party in Sudan. Founded in 1946, it was a major force in Sudanese politics in the early post-independence years, and was one of the two most influential communist parties in the Arab world, the other being the Iraqi Communist Party.
Malik Agar is a Sudanese politician and former insurgent leader who was active in the insurgency in Blue Nile state. Since 2023, he has been the deputy chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Sudan's ruling military junta.
A coup d'état took place in Sudan in the late afternoon on 11 April 2019, when President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by the Sudanese Armed Forces after popular protests demanded his departure. At that time, the army, led by Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, toppled the government and National Legislature and declared a state of emergency in the country for a period of 3 months, followed by a transitional period of two years before an agreement was reached later.
The Transitional Military Council (TMC) was the military junta governing Sudan that was established on 11 April 2019, after the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état that took place during the Sudanese Revolution, and was formally headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Inspector of the Armed Forces, after Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf resigned as leader one day following the coup.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman al-Burhan is a Sudanese army general who is the de facto ruler of Sudan. Following the Sudanese Revolution in April 2019, he was handed control of the military junta, the Transitional Military Council, a day after it was formed, due to protesters' dissatisfaction with the establishment ties of initial leader Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf. He served as chairman of the TMC until a draft constitutional declaration signed with civilians went into effect on the 17th of August and a collective head of state Transitional Sovereignty Council was formed, also to be initially headed by al-Burhan.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to mononymously as Hemedti, Hemetti, Hemeti, or Hemitte, is a Janjaweed leader from the Rizeigat tribe in Darfur, who was the Deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) following the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état. Since 2013, Hemetti has commanded the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He was considered by The Economist to be the most powerful person in Sudan as of early July 2019.
A series of political agreements among Sudanese political and military forces for a democratic transition in Sudan began in July 2019. Omar al-Bashir overthrew the democratically elected government of Sadiq al-Mahdi in 1989 and was himself overthrown in the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état, in which he was replaced by the Transitional Military Council (TMC) after months of sustained street protests. Following further protests and the 3 June Khartoum massacre, TMC and the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) alliance agreed on 5 July 2019 to a 39-month transition process to return to democracy, including the creation of executive, legislative and judicial institutions and procedures.
Several Sudanese election plans followed the Sudanese Revolution of 2019, starting with a plan to hold elections in July 2023 under the 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration. The December 2022 "Framework Agreement" between civilian and military groups in Sudan scheduled a two-year transition to be followed by elections. However, since April 2023, plans for an election have been stalled due to the ongoing civil war.
Abdalla Hamdok Al-Kinani is a Sudanese public administrator who served as the 15th Prime Minister of Sudan from 2019 to October 2021, and again from November 2021 to 2 January 2022. Prior to his appointment, Hamdok served in numerous national and international administrative positions. From November 2011 to October 2018, he was deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). UNECA staff described Hamdok as "[a] diplomat, a humble man and a brilliant and disciplined mind". In 2020, Hamdok was named among Bloomberg's 50 Most Influential figures of the year.
The Transitional Sovereignty Council is the collective head of state of Sudan, formed on 20 August 2019, by the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration. It was dissolved by Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état and reconstituted the following month with new membership, effectively changing it from a unity government to a military junta.
Raja Nicola Eissa Abdel-Masih is a civilian member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Sudan's collective transitional head of state. She was chosen for this position as one of six civilians to hold seats in the original 11-member council. She was the only one of them whose name was agreed upon through a consensus between the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance (FFC) and the Transitional Military Council (TMC), as was foreseen under the terms of the Draft Constitutional Declaration of August 2019. She is the only civilian member of the TSC to have been reinstated by Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan after he seized power in the 2021 military coup d'état.
The following lists events that happened during 2020 in Sudan.
On 25 October 2021, the Sudanese military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took control of the Government of Sudan in a military coup. At least five senior government figures were initially detained. Civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok refused to declare support for the coup and on 25 October called for popular resistance; he was confined to house arrest on 26 October. Internet outages were reported. Later the same day, the Sovereignty Council was dissolved, a state of emergency was put in place, and a majority of the Hamdok Cabinet and a number of pro-government supporters were arrested. As of 5 November 2021, the list of those detained included "government ministers, members of political parties, lawyers, civil society activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and protest leaders", who were held in secret locations, without access to their families or lawyers.
The Third Sudanese Sovereignty Council was the council that came after general parliamentary elections in 1965, the third in the history of Sudan, as it replaced the Second Sudanese Sovereignty Council, which was managing the country’s affairs for a transitional period after the overthrow of the rule of Lieutenant General Ibrahim Abboud. The Third Sovereignty Council consisted of five members, and its members were amended twice. The Chairman of the Sovereignty Council was Ismail al-Azhari. The Council was dissolved after Lieutenant General Jaafar al-Numeiri's 1969 coup against power, who in turn formed the Revolutionary Command Council, which replaced the Sovereignty Council.
Luigi Adwok Bong Gicomeho, also known as Luigi Adwok, was a South Sudanese politician who played a role in the political landscape of post-independence Sudan from the late 1950s into the 1980s. He was one of the first Southern Sudanese officials to serve as head of state of the Republic of Sudan as President of the Second Sudanese Sovereignty Council in March 1965.
Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has witnessed a protracted series of coups d'état, totalling 19 coup attempts, of which 7 were successful, which places Sudan as the African nation with the most coup attempts and it ranks second globally, just behind Bolivia, which has recorded 23 coup attempts since 1950. This include the 1958 self coup, the 1985 and 2019 soft coups, and 1957 and 1959 Putsch.