Governor-General of Sierra Leone

This is a list of the heads of state of Sierra Leone, from the independence of the Sierra Leone in 1961 to the present day.

From 1961 to 1971 the head of state under the Sierra Leone Independence Act 1961 was the Queen, Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The monarch was represented in Sierra Leone by a Governor-General. Sierra Leone became a republic under the Constitution of 1971 and the monarch and Governor-General were replaced by an executive President.

The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.

The Governor-General was the representative of the monarch in Sierra Leone and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Sierra Leone without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.

Under the 1971 Constitution, the first constitution of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the President replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state a year later an executive head of state. The President was elected by Parliament for a four-year term. The 1978 Constitution proclaimed Sierra Leone as a one-party state, then in 1991 a new Constitution was made to end the status as a one-party state. In the event of a vacancy the Vice-President served as Acting President.

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