Unfortunately, it is generally accepted in the world that Africa is filled with third world states that have not even reached the industrial stage of development. And few people want to think about the fact that there are countries with a modern democratic system on the mainland. If you are wondering if there are presidents in Africa, what powers they have, then we are in a hurry to tell you everything on this topic!
Who is the president?
A little theory first. President (Latin praesidens - "being in front", "chairman") - this is the name of the leader of the state elected for a certain period with a republican or mixed form of government.
In presidential republics, his powers are wider. He is elected by the citizens of the country through indirect or direct elections. Under the parliamentary form, this official appoints the legislature. Formally, the president also has broad powers, but the prime minister is the "grey eminence" here.
Now let's get closer to the main topic.
Presidents of Africa
Let's move on to African states, whose leaders are precisely the presidents. And at the same time we will find out who they are:
- Algeria - A. A. Bouteflika.
- Angola - J. Lawrence.
- Benin - P. Talon.
- Botswana - Ya. Khama.
- Burkina Faso - R. M. C. Kabore.
- Burundi - P. Nkurunziza.
- Gabon - A. B. Ondimba.
- Gambia - A. Barrow.
- Ghana - N. Akufo-Addo.
- Guinea-Bissau - J. M. Vaz.
- Guinea - A. Conde.
- Djibouti - I. O. Gelle.
- Egypt - A.-F. As-Sisi.
- Zambia - E. Lungu.
- Z. Sahara - B. Gali.
- Zimbabwe - E. Mnangagwa.
- Cape Verde - J. C. Fonseca.
- Cameroon - P. Biya.
- Kenya - W. Kenyatta.
- Comoros - A. Assoumani.
- Congo - D. S. Nguesso.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - J. Kabila.
- Ivory Coast - A. Ouattara.
- Liberia - E. Johnson-Sirleaf.
- Mauritius - A. Gurib-Fakim.
- Mauritania - M. W. Abdelaziz.
- Madagascar - E. Radzaunarimampianina.
- Malawi - P. Mutharika.
- Mali - I. B. Keita.
- Mozambique - F. Newsi.
- Namibia - H. Geingob.
- Niger - M. Issufu.
- Nigeria - M. Buhari.
- Rwanda - P. Kagame.
- Principe and Sao Tome - E. Carvalho.
- Seychelles - D. Fort.
- Senegal - M. Sall.
- Somalia - M. A. Mohamed.
- Somaliland - A. Silano.
- Sudan - O. al-Bashir.
- Sierra Leone - E. B. Koroma.
- Tanzania - D. Magufuli.
- Togo - F. Gnassingbe.
- Tunisia - B. K. Es Sebsi.
- Uganda - J. Museveni.
- CAR - F.-A. Touadera.
- Chad - I. Debi.
- Equatorial Guinea - T. O. N. Mbasogo.
- Eritrea - I. Afewerki.
- Ethiopia - M. Teshome.
- South Africa - D. Zuma.
- Yu. Sudan - S. Kiir.
So we got acquainted with the list of presidents of Africa. If you look at the entire continent, there are much more presidential countries than others. Other forms of government are represented in:
- Lesotho (King);
- Libya (Chairman of the Presidential Council, Prime Minister in Tripoli, Head of the House of Representatives in Tobruk);
- Morocco (king);
- Swaziland (King).
Let's now get acquainted with the peculiarities of the presidential institution in several African countries.
Zambia
The President of Africa is also the head of the executive branch of the republic called Zambia. He is simultaneously the leader of the government and the entire state. He also holds the post of commander-in-chief of the army.
Presidential elections for a five-year term are carried out by universal secret ballot of Zambians. The requirements for the candidate for this post are as follows:
- Achieving 35.
- Having Zambian citizenship.
- Support by a specific political party.
- Meeting a number of requirements for appointment as a member of the National Assembly.
Chad
The President of Chad is the head of this state. He is elected for a 5-year term, but cannot hold this position twice in a row. The tradition of the state is the solemn oath of the president before taking office. In this country he is the guarantorsovereignty, integrity and independence of Chad, territorial unity of the country's lands, respect for a number of international treaties.
The head of this republic has many duties:
- Calling a referendum.
- Dissolution of the National Assembly.
- Appointment of the Prime Minister of the country.
- Creating appeals to legislative structure.
- The right to pardon criminals.
- Sending a number of appeals to the Constitutional Council.
- Issue of decrees and decrees.
- Appointment of officials of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council.
- Performance of prescribed special powers.
South Africa
The President of South Africa (South Africa) is the highest public office in this republic. According to the constitution, he is simultaneously the head of the country, the executive branch and the supreme commander of the army. He is elected at the first meeting of the members of the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) after the new formation. His term of office is 5 years. It is not permissible to hold a position more than twice in a row.
The powers of the President here are:
- Passing bills.
- Referring some draft laws for reconsideration to the National Assembly due to their inconsistency with the constitution.
- Sending the bill to the Constitutional Court to establish its compliance with the main law of the country.
- Convening extraordinary sessions of Parliament.
- Policy of officialsappointments.
- Approval of the national referendum.
- Appointment of authorized representatives, ambassadors.
- The right to pardon.
South African President Mandela
One of the most famous and charismatic leaders of African countries is considered to be Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa. The politician lived a long life - 95 years (1918-2013)
If you are wondering who the first president of Africa is, then the experts will name Mandela. This man became the first black president of South Africa. But he became famous not only for this. Nelson Mandela is one of the most prominent human rights activists during the period of apartheid (racial segregation policy) in his native country. For his right-wing views, he had to spend 27 years in prison! N. Mandela was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1993, and since 2004 he has been the Delphic Ambassador for Youth.
What are the names of the presidents of Africa, you now know. The democratic institution is established in most countries of this continent. How, of course, it is similar to European, Russian, American, is another question.
