List of presidents of Tunisia

The president of Tunisia is the head of state of Tunisia, directly elected to a five-year term by the people. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the Tunisian government along with the prime minister and is the commander-in-chief of the Tunisian Armed Forces.

Since the office was established in 1957, Five men have served as president. The seventh and current president is Kais Saied since 23 October 2019. There are currently three living former presidents. The most recent former president to die was Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, on 19 September 2019.

Beys of Tunis (1705–1956)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Al-Husayn I ibn Ali الحسين الأول بن علي التركي	1669 – 13 March 1740 (aged 71)	15 July 1705	7 September 1735 (deposed)		Husainid
Abu l-Hasan Ali I أبو الحسن علي الأول	(1688-06-30)30 June 1688 – 22 September 1756(1756-09-22) (aged 68)	7 September 1735	22 September 1756	Nephew of Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki	Husainid
Muhammad I ar-Rashid محمد الأول الرشيد	1710 – 12 February 1759 (aged 49)	22 September 1756	12 February 1759	Son of Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki	Husainid
Ali II ibn Hussein علي الثاني بن حسين	(1712-11-24)24 November 1712 – 26 May 1782(1782-05-26) (aged 69)	12 February 1759	26 May 1782	Son of Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki	Husainid
Hammuda ibn Ali حمودة بن علي	(1759-12-09)9 December 1759 – 15 September 1814(1814-09-15) (aged 54)	26 May 1782	15 September 1814	Son of Ali II ibn Hussein	Husainid	Hammuda ibn Ali of Tunis
Uthman ibn Ali عثمان بن علي	(1763-05-27)27 May 1763 – 20 December 1814(1814-12-20) (aged 51)	15 September 1814	20 December 1814 (murdered)	Son of Ali II ibn Hussein	Husainid
Mahmud ibn Muhammad محمود بن محمد	(1757-07-10)10 July 1757 – 28 March 1824(1824-03-28) (aged 66)	20 December 1814	28 March 1824	Son of Muhammad I ar-Rashid	Husainid
Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud الحسين الثاني بن محمود	(1784-03-05)5 March 1784 – 20 May 1835(1835-05-20) (aged 51)	28 March 1824	20 May 1835	Son of Mahmud ibn Muhammad	Husainid
Mustafa ibn Mahmud مصطفى بن محمود	1786 – 10 October 1837 (aged 51)	20 May 1835	10 October 1837	Son of Mahmud ibn Muhammad	Husainid
Ahmad I ibn Mustafa Ahmad Bey أحمد الأول بن مصطفى	(1806-12-02)2 December 1806 – 30 May 1855(1855-05-30) (aged 48)	10 October 1837	30 May 1855	Son of Mustafa ibn Mahmud	Husainid
Muhammad II ibn al-Husayn M'hamed Bey محمد الثاني بن الحسين	(1811-09-18)18 September 1811 – 22 September 1859(1859-09-22) (aged 48)	30 May 1855	22 September 1859	Son of Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud	Husainid
Muhammad III as-Sadiq Sadok Bey محمد الثالث الصادق	(1813-02-07)7 February 1813 – 27 October 1882(1882-10-27) (aged 69)	22 September 1859	27 October 1882	Son of Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud	Husainid
Ali III ibn al-Husayn Ali Bey علي الثالث بن الحسين	(1817-08-14)14 August 1817 – 11 June 1902(1902-06-11) (aged 84)	28 October 1882	11 June 1902	Son of Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud	Husainid	Ali III ibn al-Husayn of Tunis
Muhammad IV al-Hadi Hédi Bey محمد الرابع الهادي	(1855-06-24)24 June 1855 – 11 May 1906(1906-05-11) (aged 50)	11 June 1902	11 May 1906	Son of Ali III ibn al-Husayn	Husainid	Muhammad IV al-Hadi of Tunis
Muhammad V an-Nasir Naceur Bey محمد الخامس الناصر	(1855-07-14)14 July 1855 – 10 July 1922(1922-07-10) (aged 66)	11 May 1906	10 July 1922	Son of Muhammad II ibn al-Husayn	Husainid	Muhammad V an-Nasir of Tunis
Muhammad VI al-Habib Habib Bey محمد السادس الحبيب	(1858-08-13)13 August 1858 – 11 February 1929(1929-02-11) (aged 70)	10 July 1922	11 February 1929	Cousin of Muhammad V an-Nasir	Husainid	Muhammad VI al-Habib of Tunis
Ahmad II ibn Ali Ahmed Bey أحمد الثاني بن علي	(1862-04-13)13 April 1862 – 19 June 1942(1942-06-19) (aged 80)	11 February 1929	19 June 1942	Son of Ali III ibn al-Husayn	Husainid	Ahmad II ibn Ali of Tunis
Muhammad VII al-Munsif Moncef Bey محمد السابع المنصف	(1881-03-04)4 March 1881 – 1 September 1948(1948-09-01) (aged 67)	19 June 1942	15 May 1943 (deposed)	Son of Muhammad V an-Nasir	Husainid
Muhammad VIII al-Amin Lamine Bey محمد الثامن الأمين	(1881-09-04)4 September 1881 – 30 September 1962(1962-09-30) (aged 81)	15 May 1943	20 March 1956 (proclaimed King of Tunisia)	Son of Muhammad VI al-Habib	Husainid	Muhammad VIII al-Amin of Tunis

King of Tunisia (1956–1957)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Muhammad VIII al-Amin Lamine Bey محمد الثامن الأمين	(1881-09-04)4 September 1881 – 30 September 1962(1962-09-30) (aged 81)	20 March 1956	25 July 1957 (deposed)	Son of Muhammad VI al-Habib	Husainid	Muhammad VIII al-Amin of Tunis

Presidents

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Election	Notes
1	Habib Bourguiba (1903–2000)	25 July 1957 – 7 November 1987	Neo-Destour	Interim	Parliament abolished the monarchy and designated Prime Minister Bourguiba as interim president.
			Neo-Destour	1959	Bourguiba won the first presidential election in Tunisia's history.
			SDP	1964	Bourguiba won his second presidential term.
				1969	Bourguiba won his third and last presidential term according to the constitution.
				1974	After this election, Bourguiba proclaimed himself president for life.
2	Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936–2019)	7 November 1987 – 14 January 2011	SDP	Interim	Following the 1987 coup d'état, Prime Minister Ben Ali took office as interim president.
			DCR	1989	Ben Ali won the first presidential election in 15 years.
				1994	Ben Ali won his second presidential term.
				1999	Ben Ali won his third presidential term and Tunisia's first pluralist presidential election.
				2004	Ben Ali won his fourth presidential term after being allowed according to the 2002 constitutional referendum.
				2009	Ben Ali won his fifth and last presidential term before being deposed.^[1]
3	Mohamed Ghannouchi (b. 1941)	14 January 2011 – 15 January 2011	DCR	Interim
4	Fouad Mebazaa (b. 1933)	15 January 2011 – 13 December 2011	DCR^[a]		Mebazaa, as speaker of Parliament, became interim president following the removal of Ben Ali by Constitutional Council.
4	Fouad Mebazaa (b. 1933)	15 January 2011 – 13 December 2011	Independent		Mebazaa's term was extended until the election of a Constituent Assembly after the constitution was repealed.
5	Moncef Marzouki (b. 1945)	13 December 2011 – 31 December 2014	CFR	2011	Marzouki was not elected directly, but was elected temporarily by the Constituent Assembly until the next election.
6	Beji Caid Essebsi (1926–2019)	31 December 2014 – 25 July 2019 †	Nidaa Tounes	2014	Essebsi won the first two-round presidential election, and was the first president to die in office.
7	Mohamed Ennaceur (b. 1934)	25 July 2019 – 23 October 2019	Nidaa Tounes	Interim	Ennaceur, as speaker of Parliament, became interim president following the death of President Beji Caid Essebsi.
8^[b]	Kais Saied (b. 1958)	23 October 2019 – Incumbent	Independent	2019	Saied won the first presidential election in which a presidential debate was held.

^ Mebazaa left the party leadership on January 18 and the DCR was dissolved on 9 March 2011.
^ The official website of the president of Tunisia considers Saied to be the seventh to hold the office. There are no distinctions between elected and interim presidents.^[2]

Rank by time in office

Habib Bourguiba Longest presidency: 30 years, 105 days 1957–1987	Mohamed Ghannouchi Shortest presidency: 1 day 2011–2011

Rank	President	Time in office
1	Habib Bourguiba	30 years, 105 days
2	Zine El Abidine Ben Ali	23 years, 68 days
3	Mohamed Ghannouchi (Acting President)	1 day
4	Fouad Mebazaa (Acting President)	332 days
5	Moncef Marzouki	3 years, 18 days
6	Beji Caid Essebsi	4 years, 206 days
7	Mohamed Ennaceur (Acting President)	90 days
8	Kais Saied	5 years, 82 days

Timeline

References

^ "Ben Ali sworn in, announces historical measures". Business News. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
^ "President of the republic Kais Saied". Carthage.tn. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.

External links

World Statesmen - Tunisia

[2] Mebazaa left the party leadership on January 18 and the DCR was dissolved on 9 March 2011.

[4] The official website of the president of Tunisia considers Saied to be the seventh to hold the office. There are no distinctions between elected and interim presidents.^[2]

[1] "Ben Ali sworn in, announces historical measures". Business News. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2021.

[3] "President of the republic Kais Saied". Carthage.tn. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.

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