List of presidents of Somaliland
This is a list of presidents of the Republic of Somaliland, is a de facto sovereign state in the Horn of Africa. The Republic of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of Somaliland.[1][2] The President of Somaliland is the head of state and head of government of Somaliland. The president leads the executive branch of the Government of Somaliland and is the commander-in-chief of the Somaliland Armed Forces. The official residence of the president is the Presidential Palace in Hargeisa.
| President of the Republic of Somaliland | |
|---|---|
| Madaxweynaha Jamhuuriyadda Somaliland رئيس جمهورية أرض الصومال | |
![]() National Emblem of Somaliland | |
| Style | His Excellency Mr. President |
| Residence | Presidential Palace - Qasriga Madaxtooyada JSL |
| Seat | Hargeisa (1991–present) |
| Appointer | Direct election |
| Term length | Two consecutive 5-year terms |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland |
| Formation | 18 May 1991 |
| First holder | Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur as the first President in 1991 |
| Deputy | Vice President of Somaliland |
| Website | somalilandgov |
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List of officeholders
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | ![]() |
Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur عبد الرحمن أحمد علي الطور (1931–2003) |
1991 | 28 May 1991 | 16 May 1993 | 1 year, 353 days | Somali National Movement (SNM) |
| 2 | ![]() |
Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal محمد الحاج ابراهيم عقال (1928–2002) |
1993 1997 |
16 May 1993 | 3 May 2002 | 8 years, 352 days | Independent (until 2001) |
| (2) | United Peoples' Democratic Party (UDUB) | ||||||
| 3 | ![]() |
Dahir Riyale Kahin ظاهر ريالي كاهن (born 1952) |
2003 | 3 May 2002 | 27 July 2010 | 8 years, 85 days | United Peoples' Democratic Party (UDUB) |
| 4 | ![]() |
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud احمد محمد محمود سيلانيو (born 1936) |
2010 | 27 July 2010 | 13 December 2017 | 7 years, 139 days | Peace, Unity, and Development Party (KULMIYE) |
| 5 | ![]() |
Muse Bihi Abdi موسى بيحي عبدي (born 1948) |
2017 | 13 December 2017 | Incumbent | 4 years, 139 days | Peace, Unity, and Development Party (KULMIYE) |
Timeline

Latest election
On 21 November 2017 the NEC announced that Muse Bihi Abdi of the ruling Kulmiye party polled 55.1% of votes to emerge winner. His closest contender was Abdirahman Irro of the Waddani party who polled 40.7% with Faysal Ali Warabe finishing last with 4.2% of votes.[3]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muse Bihi Abdi | Peace, Unity, and Development Party | 305,909 | 55.10 |
| Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi | Waddani | 226,092 | 40.73 |
| Faisal Ali Warabe | For Justice and Development | 23,141 | 4.17 |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | ||
| Total | 555,142 | 100 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 80 | ||
| Source: Somalia Update | |||
References
- "Somaliland Marks Independence After 73 Years of British Rule" (fee required). The New York Times. 26 June 1960. p. 6. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
- "How Britain said farewell to its Empire". BBC News. 23 July 2010.
- Somaliland ruling party candidate wins Nov. 13 polls – media reports AFrica News, 21 November 2017

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