List of presidents who did not win reelection

This is a list of incumbent presidents as heads of state and/or heads of state and government in any country who ran for another term in office but were not reelected.

List

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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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "One-term presidents: Trump joins the list of Commanders-in-Chief denied a second term". USA Today.
  2. ^ "Κυπριανού Σπύρος". www.polignosi.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  3. ^ Collins, Eliza (July 10, 2019). "Did Perot Spoil 1992 Election for Bush? It's Complicated". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "Prezidentské volby 3. 7. 1992: stop Havlovi a společnému státu". iROZHLAS (in Czech). 17 July 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Nezvolení Havla prezidentem před 25 lety předznamenalo rozpad Československa". Česká televize. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Madagascar ex-president Ratsiraka returns from exile". BBC News. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Polish President Wins Election For Second Term". The New York Times. Associated Press. 9 October 2000. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Mečiar má šanci vrátit se na výsluní". iDNES.cz. 4 April 2004. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Ukrainian Election: Yanukovych Beats Tymoshenko in First Round". Jamestown. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Slovenia elects new leader amid social tensions". Arab News. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Financial Times". www.ft.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Poland election: President Komorowski loses to rival Duda". BBC News. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Ruling party loses majority in South Ossetian parliament". OC Media. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Why Poroshenko lost". Atlantic Council. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Leftist former PM Milanovic wins Croatia presidential election". France 24. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Donald Trump refuses to concede in first post-election TV appearance". Deutsche Welle. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  17. ^ "'The last wall': How dozens of judges across the political spectrum rejected Trump's efforts to overturn the election". The Washington Post. December 12, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  18. ^ Barry, Dan; Frenkel, Sheera (January 7, 2021). "'Be There. Will Be Wild!': Trump All but Circled the Date". The New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Summers, Juana (January 7, 2021). "Congress Certifies Biden Victory; Trump Pledges 'Orderly Transition' On Jan. 20". NPR. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  20. ^ "Dodon va contesta rezultatele alegerilor: Felicit preliminar oponenta". stiri.md. 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  21. ^ "Moldova election: Pro-EU Maia Sandu wins presidency". Deutsche Welle. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  22. ^ Sheikh, Abdi (2022-05-16). "Ex-Somali leader Mohamud wins presidency to face war and drought". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-06-01.