This article lists the past presidents of western Sahara from the time the office was established till now and their time in office.
The president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) 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.
Read: POLITICAL HISTORY OF WESTERN SAHARA
From the declaration of independence on February 27, 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. The first President was Mohamed Abdelaziz from August 1982 until his death in 2016.
The powers of the presidency are extensive, and they have been subject to modification in various constitutional amendments, the last occurring in 1995.
LIST OF OFFICE HOLDERS (1976–present)
No. | Chairman/President | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Ref. |
1 | El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed (1949–1976) |
29 February 1976 | 9 June 1976 † | 101 days | POLISARIO | — |
– | Mahfoud Ali Beiba (1952–2010) Acting |
9 June 1976 | 30 August 1976 | 82 days | POLISARIO | — |
2 | Mohamed Abdelaziz (1947–2016) |
30 August 1976 | 31 May 2016 † | 39 years, 275 days | POLISARIO | — |
– | Khatri Addouh (born 1954) Acting |
31 May 2016 | 12 July 2016 | 42 days | POLISARIO | |
3 | Brahim Ghali (born 1949) |
12 July 2016 | Incumbent | 7 years, 51 days | POLISARIO |