Term in office
President
Country
Lost election
Winning successor
Notes
1797–1801
John Adams
United States
1800 United States presidential election
Thomas Jefferson
Adams placed third behind Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr . Jefferson narrowly won a contingent election in the U.S. House of Representatives .
1825–1829
John Quincy Adams
United States
1828 United States presidential election
Andrew Jackson
Jackson previously won a plurality of the popular vote against Adams in the 1824 presidential election but lost a contingent election.
1837–1841
Martin Van Buren
United States
1840 United States presidential election
William Henry Harrison
Van Buren also ran in the 1848 presidential election with the Free Soil Party .
1871–1873
Miguel García Granados
Guatemala
1873 Guatemalan general election
Justo Rufino Barrios
García Granados was serving as acting president of Guatemala , however, he was defeated by Justo Rufino Barrios .
1885–1889
Grover Cleveland
United States
1888 United States presidential election
Benjamin Harrison
Cleveland lost the 1888 presidential election, but won the 1892 United States presidential election .
1889–1893
Benjamin Harrison
United States
1892 United States presidential election
Grover Cleveland
1909–1913
William Howard Taft
United States
1912 United States presidential election
Woodrow Wilson
Taft also ran against former President Theodore Roosevelt for the Republican nomination . After Taft won Roosevelt launched his own presidential campaign under the Progressive Party . Taft came in third behind both Wilson and Roosevelt.
1929–1933
Herbert Hoover
United States
1932 United States presidential election
Franklin D. Roosevelt
1931–1937
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Finland
1937 Finnish presidential election
Kyösti Kallio
1944–1946
Sergio Osmeña
Philippines
1946 Philippine presidential election
Manuel Roxas
Then-Vice President Osmeña succeeded Manuel L. Quezon after the latter died on 1944. Osmeña lost his own right term to Manuel Roxas on 1946 Philippine presidential election.
1948–1953
Elpidio Quirino
Philippines
1953 Philippine presidential election
Ramon Magsaysay
Then-Vice President Quirino succeeded Manuel Roxas on 1948.
Quirino won his own right on 1949 presidential election.
1948–1955
Luigi Einaudi
Italy
1955 Italian presidential election
Giovanni Gronchi
1938–1950
İsmet İnönü
Turkey
1950 Turkish presidential election
Celal Bayar
1955–1962
Giovanni Gronchi
Italy
1962 Italian presidential election
Antonio Segni
1957–1961
Carlos P. Garcia
Philippines
1961 Philippine presidential election
Diosdado Macapagal
Then-Vice President Garcia succeeded Ramon Magsaysay after the latter died in 1957. Garcia became president on his own right after winning the 1957 presidential election.
1960–1967
Aden Abdullah Osman Daar
Somalia
1967 Somali presidential election
Abdirashid Shermarke
1961–1965
Diosdado Macapagal
Philippines
1965 Philippine presidential election
Ferdinand Marcos
1964–1971
Giuseppe Saragat
Italy
1971 Italian presidential election
Giovanni Leone
1977–1981
Jimmy Carter
United States
1980 United States presidential election
Ronald Reagan
Carter was the first elected president to lose a re-election bid since Herbert Hoover in 1932.[ 1]
1974–1981
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
France
1981 French presidential election
François Mitterrand
1965–1986
Ferdinand Marcos
Philippines
1986 Philippine presidential election
Corazon Aquino
The final results of the election led to the belief that the polls were tampered and considered an electoral fraud. These events eventually lead to the People Power Revolution .
1977–1988
Spyros Kyprianou
Cyprus
1988 Cypriot presidential election
George Vassiliou
Then President of the House of Representatives succeeded Archbishop Makarios III after his death in 1977. Kyprianou became president on his own right after winning the 1977 presidential by-election unopposed. He lost re-election in the first round of voting in the 1988 Cypriot presidential election , placing third.[ 2]
1985–1990
Daniel Ortega
Nicaragua
1990 Nicaraguan general election
Violeta Chamorro
Ortega later returned to power in the 2006 elections .
1972–1991
Mathieu Kérékou
Benin
1991 Beninese presidential election
Nicéphore Soglo
1980–1991
Aristides Pereira
Cape Verde
1991 Cape Verdean presidential election
António Mascarenhas Monteiro
1964–1991
Kenneth Kaunda
Zambia
1991 Zambian general election
Frederick Chiluba
1977–1992
Denis Sassou-Nguesso
Congo
1992 Republic of the Congo presidential election
Pascal Lissouba
1989–1993
George H. W. Bush
United States
1992 United States presidential election
Bill Clinton
Some speculated that Ross Perot , the unsuccessful third candidate in the presidential race, cost Bush the election.[ 3]
1989–1992
Václav Havel
Czechoslovakia
1992 Czechoslovak presidential election
none due to the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
Havel later elected President of the Czech Republic .[ 4] [ 5]
1975–1993
Didier Ratsiraka
Madagascar
1992–93 Malagasy presidential election
Albert Zafy
Ratsiraka returned to power in 1996 .[ 6]
1988–1993
George Vassiliou
Cyprus
1993 Cypriot presidential election
Glafcos Clerides
1981–1993
André Kolingba
Central African Republic
1993 Central African general election
Ange-Félix Patassé
1966–1994
Hastings Banda
Malawi
1994 Malawian general election
Bakili Muluzi
1991–1994
Leonid Kravchuk
Ukraine
1994 Ukrainian presidential election
Leonid Kuchma
1990–1995
Lech Wałęsa
Poland
1995 Polish presidential election
Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Walesa also lost 2000 election .[ 7]
1989–1996
Ion Iliescu
Romania
1996 Romanian general election
Emil Constantinescu
Iliescu returned to power in the 2000 election . Constantinescu did not run for reelection.
1991–1996
Nicéphore Soglo
Benin
1996 Beninese presidential election
Mathieu Kérékou
1993–1996
Albert Zafy
Madagascar
1996 Malagasy presidential election
Didier Ratsiraka
1990–1997
Mircea Snegur
Moldova
1996 Moldovan presidential election
Petru Lucinschi
1990–1997
Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat
Mongolia
1997 Mongolian presidential election
Natsagiin Bagabandi
1981–2000
Abdou Diouf
Senegal
2000 Senegalese presidential election
Abdoulaye Wade
1996–2001
Didier Ratsiraka
Madagascar
2001 Malagasy presidential election
Marc Ravalomanana
1996–2001
Petar Stoyanov
Bulgaria
2001 Bulgarian presidential election
Georgi Parvanov
1996–2001
Lyudvig Chibirov
South Ossetia
2001 South Ossetian presidential election
Eduard Kokoity
The President of South Ossetia is only recognized as an independent head of state by some states .
1998–2003
Valdas Adamkus
Lithuania
2002–2003 Lithuanian presidential election
Rolandas Paksas
Returned to the office in 2004 .
1993–2003
Glafcos Clerides
Cyprus
2003 Cypriot presidential election
Tassos Papadopoulos
Lost reelection in the first round of voting.
2000–2004
Hipólito Mejía
Dominican Republic
2004 Dominican Republic presidential election
Leonel Fernández
2001–2004
Megawati Sukarnoputri
Indonesia
2004 Indonesian presidential election
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Megawati was a vice president elected by indirect votes. She then elected as President after her predecessor removed from the office. In 2004, she seek for reelection in the first direct presidential elections but lost by her former minister.
1999–2004
Rudolf Schuster
Slovakia
2004 Slovak presidential election
Ivan Gašparovič
[ 8]
2001–2006
Arnold Rüütel
Estonia
2006 Estonian presidential election
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
2003–2008
Tassos Papadopoulos
Cyprus
2008 Cypriot presidential election
Demetris Christofias
Lost reelection in the first round of voting where he placed third.
2005–2009
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Mongolia
2009 Mongolian presidential election
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
2002–2010
Dahir Riyale Kahin
Somaliland
2010 Somaliland presidential election
Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo
The President of Somaliland is not diplomatically recognized as an independent head of state by the international community.
2005–2010
Viktor Yushchenko
Ukraine
2010 Ukrainian presidential election
Viktor Yanukovich
[ 9]
2000–2011
Laurent Gbagbo
Ivory Coast
2010 Ivorian presidential election
Alassane Ouattara
Gbagbo declared President by Constitutional Council despite recognition of Outtara by the international community , leading to the Second Ivorian Civil War
1991–2011
Igor Smirnov
Transnistria
2011 Transnistrian presidential election
Yevgeny Shevchuk
The President of Transnistria is not recognized as an independent head of state by the international community.
2007–2011
Valdis Zatlers
Latvia
2011 Latvian presidential election
Andris Bērziņš
2007–2012
José Ramos-Horta
East Timor
2012 East Timorese presidential election
Taur Matan Ruak
Won the 2022 East Timorese presidential election
2008–2011
Rupiah Banda
Zambia
2011 Zambian general election
Michael Sata
2007–2012
Nicolas Sarkozy
France
2012 French presidential election
François Hollande
Also ran in 2017 but lost The Republicans primary .
2000–2012
Abdoulaye Wade
Senegal
2012 Senegalese presidential election
Macky Sall
2004–2012
Boris Tadić
Serbia
2012 Serbian presidential election
Tomislav Nikolić
2005–2015
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka
2015 Sri Lankan presidential election
Maithripala Sirisena
Failed after running for an unprecedented third term after a constitutional amendment. Returned as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 2019 after his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected president.
2007–2012
Danilo Türk
Slovenia
2012 Slovenian presidential election
Borut Pahor
[ 10]
2012–2014
Joyce Banda
Malawi
2014 Malawian general election
Peter Mutharika
2010–2015
Ivo Josipović
Croatia
2014–2015 Croatian presidential election
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
[ 11]
2010–2015
Goodluck Jonathan
Nigeria
2015 Nigerian presidential election
Muhammadu Buhari
2010–2015
Bronisław Komorowski
Poland
2015 Polish presidential election
Andrzej Duda
[ 12]
1994–2017
Yahya Jammeh
The Gambia
2016 Gambian presidential election
Adama Barrow
Jammeh initially refused to step down, causing the 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis and the ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia .
2012–2017
John Mahama
Ghana
2016 Ghanaian general election
Nana Akufo-Addo
2011–2016
Manuel Pinto da Costa
São Tomé and Príncipe
2016 São Toméan presidential election
Evaristo Carvalho
2011–2016
Yevgeny Shevchuk
Transnistria
2016 Transnistrian presidential election
Vadim Krasnoselsky
The President of Transnistria is not recognized as an independent head of state by the international community.
2012–2017
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Somalia
2017 Somali presidential election
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Won the 2022 Somali presidential election .
2012–2017
Leonid Tibilov
South Ossetia
2017 South Ossetian presidential election
Anatoly Bibilov
The President of South Ossetia is only recognized as an independent head of state by some states .[ 13]
2014–2018
Hery Rajaonarimampianina
Madagascar
2018 Malagasy presidential election
Andry Rajoelina
2014–2019
Petro Poroshenko
Ukraine
2019 Ukrainian presidential election
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
[ 14]
2015–2019
Mauricio Macri
Argentina
2019 Argentine presidential election
Alberto Fernández
2014–2020
José Mário Vaz
Guinea-Bissau
2019 Guinea-Bissau presidential election
Umaro Sissoco Embaló
2015–2020
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
Croatia
2019–2020 Croatian presidential election
Zoran Milanović
[ 15]
2014–2020
Peter Mutharika
Malawi
2020 Malawian presidential election
Lazarus Chakwera
2017–2021
Donald Trump
United States
2020 United States presidential election
Joe Biden
Trump refused to concede, alleging fraud and filing and ultimately losing post-election lawsuits before 86 judges.[ 16] [ 17] The counting of the Electoral College votes by Congress on January 6, 2021, was briefly stopped when rioters stormed the Capitol building .[ 18] Joe Biden's victory was confirmed when Congress reconvened hours later.[ 19] Trump later won the 2024 United States presidential election .
2016–2020
Igor Dodon
Moldova
2020 Moldovan presidential election
Maia Sandu
Dodon alleged multiple voting irregularities including the prevention of Transnistrians from voting and interference from foreign leaders but congratulated Sandu as a precaution. Sandu became the first female president of the country.[ 20] [ 21]
2015–2021
Edgar Lungu
Zambia
2021 Zambian general election
Hakainde Hichilema
2017–2022
Francisco Guterres
East Timor
2022 East Timorese presidential election
José Ramos-Horta
2017–2022
Anatoly Bibilov
South Ossetia
2022 South Ossetian presidential election
Alan Gagloev
The President of South Ossetia is only recognized as an independent head of state by some states .
2017–2022
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Somalia
2022 Somali presidential election
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
[ 22]
2019–2022
Jair Bolsonaro
Brazil
2022 Brazilian general election
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
2018–2022
Barham Salih
Iraq
2022 Iraqi presidential election
Abdul Latif Rashid
2018–2023
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Maldives
2023 Maldivian presidential election
Mohamed Muizzu
2018–2024
George Weah
Liberia
2023 Liberian general election
Joseph Boakai
2019–2024
Stevo Pendarovski
North Macedonia
2024 North Macedonian presidential election
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
2022–2024
Ranil Wickremesinghe
Sri Lanka
2024 Sri Lankan presidential election
Anura Kumara Dissanayake
2019–2024
Mokgweetsi Masisi
Botswana
2024 Botswana general election
Duma Boko
2017–2024
Muse Bihi Abdi
Somaliland
2024 Somaliland presidential election
Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi