List of rulers of Zimbabwe

The President of Zimbabwe is the head of state of Zimbabwe. They are elected using a two-round system.

The President is also the head of government. the office of Prime Minister was abolished in 1987. Under the rules adopted by the same referendum, the president serves a maximum of two five-year terms.^[1]

Unrecognised monarchy (1965–1970)

See the main article: Queen of Rhodesia

On 7 October 1964 the Southern Rhodesian government announced that when Northern Rhodesia achieved independence as Zambia, the Southern Rhodesian government would officially become known as the Rhodesian Government and the colony would become known as Rhodesia.^[2] On 23 October of that year, the Minister of Internal Affairs notified the Press that the Constitution would be amended to make this official. The Legislative Assembly then passed an Interpretation Bill to declare that the colony could be referred to as Rhodesia. The Bill received its third reading on 9 December 1964, and passed to the Governor for assent.

On 11 November 1965, following a brief but solemn consensus, Rhodesia's leading statesmen issued their country's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI).^[3][4] This was immediately denounced as an "act of rebellion against the Crown" in the United Kingdom, and Prime Minister Harold Wilson promised that the illegal action would be short-lived.^[5][6] Initially, the state retained its pledged loyalty to Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, recognizing her as Queen of Rhodesia. However, few seemed to initially realize that Rhodesia was no longer within the Commonwealth's direct sphere of influence and British rule was now a constitutional fiction; Salisbury remained virtually immune to credible metropolitan leverage.

No.	Portrait	Monarch (Birth–Death)
			1		Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022)

The monarch's powers were the same as prior to the Unilateral Declaration of Independence. However they were de facto exercised by the Officer Administering the Government (Clifford Dupont) as the Queen's de jure representative.

Prime Minister of Zimbabwe

Southern Rhodesia (1923–1970)

#	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political Party
1		Sir Charles Coghlan † (1863–1927)	1 October 1923	28 August 1927	Rhodesia Party
2		Howard Unwin Moffat (1869–1951)	2 September 1927	5 July 1933	Rhodesia Party
3		George Mitchell (1867–1937)	5 July 1933	12 September 1933	Rhodesia Party
4		Viscount Godfrey Huggins (1883–1971)	12 September 1933	7 September 1953	United Party
5		Sir Garfield Todd (1908–2002)	7 September 1953	17 February 1958	United Rhodesia Party
6		Sir Edgar Whitehead (1905–1971)	17 February 1958	17 December 1962	United Federal Party
7		Winston Field (1904–1969)	17 December 1962	13 April 1964	Rhodesian Front
8		Ian Smith (1919–2007)	13 April 1964	1 June 1979[8]	Rhodesian Front

Notes

• † Died in office

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Political party
1		Abel Muzorewa (1925–2010) MP for Mashonaland East	1 June 1979	18 April 1980	United African National Council
1		Robert Mugabe (1924–2019)	18 April 1980	31 December 1987	ZANU
Post abolished (31 December 1987 – 11 February 2009)
2		Morgan Tsvangirai (1952–2018)	11 February 2009	11 September 2013	MDC–T
Post abolished (11 September 2013)

List

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political Party
			Took office	Left office
		Sir John Chancellor (1870–1952)	1 October 1923	15 June 1928
		Sir Murray Bisset (1876–1931) Acting	15 June 1928	24 November 1928
		Sir Cecil Hunter-Rodwell (1874–1953)	24 November 1928	1 May 1934
		Fraser Russell (1876–1952) Acting	1 May 1934	8 January 1935
		Sir Herbert Stanley (1872–1955)	8 January 1935	8 January 1942
		Fraser Russell (1876–1952) Acting	8 January 1942	10 December 1942
		Sir Evelyn Baring (1903–1973)	10 December 1942	26 October 1944
		Sir Robert James Hudson (1885–1963) Acting	26 October 1944	20 February 1945
		Sir Campbell Tait (1886–1946)	20 February 1945	2 February 1946
		Sir Fraser Russell (1876–1952) Acting	2 February 1946	19 July 1946
		Sir Robert James Hudson (1885–1963) Acting	19 July 1946	14 January 1947
		Sir John Noble Kennedy (1893–1970)	14 January 1947	21 November 1953
		Sir Robert Clarkson Tredgold (1899–1977) Acting	21 November 1953	26 November 1954
		Sir Peveril William-Powlett (1898–1985)	26 November 1954	28 December 1959
		Sir Humphrey Gibbs (1902–1990)	28 December 1959	24 June 1969
		Michael Carver	(24 June 1969 – 11 December 1979)
		The Lord Llewellin (1893–1957)	4 September 1953	24 January 1957†
		Sir Robert Clarkson Tredgold (1899–1977) Acting	24 January 1957	February 1957
		Sir William Lindsay Murphy (1888–1965) Acting	February 1957	8 October 1957
		The Earl of Dalhousie (1914–1999)	8 October 1957	May 1963
		Sir Humphrey Gibbs (1902–1990) Acting	May 1963	11 November 1965

	Picture	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office
	Officer Administering the Government (1965–1970)
		Clifford Dupont (1905–1978)	11 November 1965	2 March 1970	Rhodesian Front
	Presidents of the Republic of Rhodesia (1970–1979)
		Clifford Dupont (1905–1978)	16 April 1970 Acting since 2 March 1970	31 December 1975	Rhodesian Front
		Henry Everard (1897–1980) (Acting)	31 December 1975	14 January 1976	Rhodesian Front
		John Wrathall † (1913–1978)	14 January 1976	31 August 1978	Rhodesian Front
		Henry Everard (1897–1980) (Acting)	31 August 1978	1 November 1978	Rhodesian Front
		Jack William Pithey (1903–1987) (Acting)	1 November 1978	5 March 1979	Rhodesian Front
		Henry Everard (1897–1980) (Acting)	5 March 1979	1 June 1979	Rhodesian Front
	President of the Republic of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia (1979)
		Josiah Zion Gumede (1919–1989)	1 June 1979	12 December 1979	Independent
		The Lord Soames (1920–1987)	11 December 1979	18 April 1980	Position abolished
		Canaan Banana (1936–2003)	18 April 1980	31 December 1987	ZANU
		Robert Mugabe (born 1924 — 2019)	31 December 1987	21 November 2017	ZANU–PF
		Phelekezela Mphoko (born 1940)	21 November 2017	24 November 2017	Independent
		Emmerson Mnangagwa (born 1942)	24 November 2017	Incumbent	ZANU–PF

References

1. Allison, Simon (26 March 2013). "Even Zimbabwe's constitution waits for Mugabe to pass the baton, or pass away". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
2. Southern Rhodesia Information Service Press Statement 980/64 A.G.C.
3. Raftopolous, Brian. Becoming Zimbabwe: A History from the pre-colonial period to 2008. pp. 1–298.
4. Raeburn, Michael. We are everywhere: Narratives from Rhodesian guerillas. pp. 1–209.
5. "Issue 6, Spring 2011". Genocidepreventionnow.org. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
6. "RHODESIA". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 21 January 1969. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
7. Wood 2008, p. 471. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWood2008 (help)
8. Smith's government continued to affirm allegiance to Elizabeth II as "Queen of Rhodesia" following its declaration of independence until 1970, but this was not acknowledged.^[7]