President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

chief of the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
chief of the; Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
	Coat of arms of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
	Incumbent; Brahim Ghali ; since 12 July 2016
Residence	Sahrawi refugee camps, Tindouf, Algeria
Term length	No term limit
Inaugural holder	Mohamed Abdelaziz
Formation	August 1982

Last updated December 23, 2024

The president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is the head of state of the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), a government in exile based in the Sahrawi refugee camps of Tindouf, Algeria.

From the declaration of independence on 27 February 1976, to August 1982, the head of state of the SADR was known as the chairman of the Revolutionary Council. The office of the president of the SADR was established in August 1982, after a change in the constitution made by the fifth general congress of the Polisario Front, where it was decided the post were to be held by the Secretary-General of the Polisario.^[1] The first President was Mohamed Abdelaziz from August 1982 until his death in 2016.^[2]^[3]

The powers of the presidency are extensive, and they have been subject to modification in various constitutional amendments, the last occurring in 1995.

Chairmen/Presidents of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–present)

No.	Chairman/President	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Party	Ref.
1	Sayed, El-Ouali El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed (1949–1976) † ^[a]	29 February 1976	9 June 1976 †	101 days	Polisario	—
–	Beiba, Mahfoud Mahfoud Ali Beiba (1952–2010) Acting	9 June 1976	30 August 1976	82 days	Polisario	—
2	Abdelaziz, Mohamed Mohamed Abdelaziz (1947–2016)	30 August 1976	31 May 2016 †	39 years, 275 days	Polisario	—
–	Addouh, Khatri Khatri Addouh (born 1954) Acting	31 May 2016	12 July 2016	42 days	Polisario	^[4]
3	Ghali, Brahim Brahim Ghali (born 1949)	12 July 2016	Incumbent	8 years, 163 days	Polisario	—

Timeline

President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

Explanatory notes

↑ Died in combat in Mauritania.

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References

↑ Zunes S; Mundy J (2010). Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution Syracuse University Press. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
↑ Abd al-Aziz Muhammad In: Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Henry Louis Gates (eds.) Dictionary of African Biography, Volume 6, Oxford University Press, 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
↑ "Mort du chef du Polisario Mohamed Abdelaziz". 31 May 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
↑ "Death of Sahrawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz: Polisario Front declares 40-day mourning". Sahara Press Service. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

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[4] Died in combat in Mauritania.

[Zunes_2010-1] Zunes S; Mundy J (2010). Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution Syracuse University Press. Retrieved 3 August 2016.

[AfrBio-2] Abd al-Aziz Muhammad In: Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Henry Louis Gates (eds.) Dictionary of African Biography, Volume 6, Oxford University Press, 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2016.

[3] "Mort du chef du Polisario Mohamed Abdelaziz". 31 May 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.

[5] "Death of Sahrawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz: Polisario Front declares 40-day mourning". Sahara Press Service. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

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