World leaders in 1982

Everyone who held a state’s top posts at some point in 1982, in the order they held them. Names are from Wikipedia’s list of state leaders and appear only where the person’s Wikidata record agrees on the post and the years. What happened in 1982 →

Major powers in 1982

United StatesUnited States history

President: Ronald Reagan

United KingdomUnited Kingdom history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Margaret Thatcher

Soviet UnionRussia history

General Secretary: Leonid Brezhnev, then Yuri Andropov
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet: Leonid Brezhnev
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Nikolai Tikhonov

People's Republic of ChinaChina history

Paramount Leader: Deng Xiaoping
Chairman; General Secretary: Hu Yaobang
NPC Standing Committee Chairman: Ye Jianying

FranceFrance history

President: François Mitterrand
Prime minister: Pierre Mauroy

East GermanyGermany history

Chairmen of the State Council: Erich Honecker
Chairman: Willi Stoph

West GermanyGermany history

President: Karl Carstens
Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt
Chancellor of West Germany: Helmut Kohl

JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Zenko Suzuki, then Yasuhiro Nakasone

Republic of IndiaIndia history

President: Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, then Zail Singh
Prime minister: Indira Gandhi

Africa

Arab Republic of EgyptEgypt history

President: Hosni Mubarak
Prime minister: Hosni Mubarak, then Ahmad Fuad Mohieddin

Central African Republic

President: André Kolingba

CiskeiSouth Africa history

President: Lennox Sebe

Democratic Republic of MadagascarMadagascar history

President of Supreme Revolutionary Council: Didier Ratsiraka

Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe

President: Manuel Pinto da Costa

Democratic Republic of the SudanSudan history

President: Gaafar Nimeiry
Prime minister: Gaafar Nimeiry

Derg: Provisional Military Government of Socialist EthiopiaEthiopia history

Chairmen: Mengistu Haile Mariam

Equatorial Guinea

President: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Prime minister: Cristino Seriche Bioko

Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

President: Ahmed Abdallah
Prime minister: Salim Ben Ali, then Ali Mroudjaé

Federal Republic of Nigeria: Fourth RepublicNigeria history

President of the Second Republic: Shehu Shagari

French Upper Volta/ Republic of Upper VoltaBurkina Faso history

President: Saye Zerbo, then Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo
Prime minister: Saye Zerbo

GabonGabon history

President: Omar Bongo
Prime minister: Léon Mébiame

Guinea-Bissau

President: João Bernardo Vieira
Prime minister: Victor Saúde Maria

Islamic Republic of MauritaniaMauritania history

Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation: Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Prime minister: Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya

KenyaKenya history

President: Daniel arap Moi

Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland)

King: Sobhuza II
Prime minister: Mabandla Dlamini

Kingdom of LesothoLesotho history

King: Moshoeshoe II

Libyan Arab Republic / Socialist People's Libyan Arab JamahiriyaLibya history

Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution: Muammar Gaddafi
Prime minister: Jadallah Azzuz at-Talhi

Mauritius (Commonwealth realm)Mauritius history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, then Anerood Jugnauth

People's Democratic Republic of AlgeriaAlgeria history

President: Chadli Bendjedid
Prime minister: Mohamed Ben Ahmed Abdelghani

People's Republic of AngolaAngola history

President: José Eduardo dos Santos

People's Republic of BeninBenin history

President: Mathieu Kérékou

People's Republic of MozambiqueMozambique history

President: Samora Machel

Republic of BotswanaBotswana history

President: Quett Masire

Republic of BurundiBurundi history

President: Jean-Baptiste Bagaza

Republic of CameroonCameroon history

President: Ahmadou Ahidjo, then Paul Biya
Prime minister: Paul Biya, then Bello Bouba Maigari

Republic of Cape VerdeCape Verde history

President: Aristides Pereira
Prime minister: Pedro Pires

Republic of ChadChad history

President: Goukouni Oueddei, then Hissène Habré
Prime minister: Djidingar Dono Ngardoum

Republic of DjiboutiDjibouti history

President: Hassan Gouled Aptidon
Prime minister: Barkat Gourad Hamadou

Republic of GhanaGhana history

Military Head of State: Jerry Rawlings

Republic of GuineaGuinea history

President: Ahmed Sékou Touré
Prime minister: Louis Lansana Beavogui

Republic of Ivory CoastIvory Coast history

President: Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Republic of MalawiMalawi history

President: Hastings Banda

Republic of MaliMali history

President: Moussa Traoré

Republic of RwandaRwanda history

President: Juvénal Habyarimana

Republic of SenegalSenegal history

President: Abdou Diouf
Prime minister: Habib Thiam

Republic of Seychelles

President: France-Albert René

Republic of Sierra LeoneSierra Leone history

President: Siaka Stevens

Republic of South AfricaSouth Africa history

State President: Marais Viljoen
Prime minister: Pieter Willem Botha

Republic of the GambiaGambia history

President: Dawda Jawara

Republic of TunisiaTunisia history

President: Habib Bourguiba
Prime minister: Mohammed Mzali

Republic of Uganda

President: Milton Obote

Republic of ZambiaZambia history

President: Kenneth Kaunda
Prime minister: Nalumino Mundia

Republic of Zimbabwe

President: Canaan Banana
Prime minister: Robert Mugabe

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, has limited recognition: Morocco claims Western SaharaMorocco history

President: Mohamed Abdelaziz

Somali Democratic RepublicSomalia history

President: Siad Barre

Sultanate/ Kingdom of MoroccoMorocco history

King: Hassan II
Prime minister: Maati Bouabid

Togolese RepublicTogo history

President: Gnassingbé Eyadéma

United Republic of TanzaniaTanzania history

President: Julius Nyerere
Prime minister: Cleopa Msuya

Zaire

President: Mobutu Sese Seko
First state commissioner: N'Singa Udjuu, then Léon Kengo

Americas

Antigua and Barbuda

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Vere Bird

ArgentinaArgentina history

de facto President of the Military Junta: Leopoldo Galtieri
de facto Interim President: Alfredo Oscar Saint-Jean
de facto President: Reynaldo Bignone

BarbadosBarbados history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Tom Adams

BelizeBelize history

Queen: Elizabeth II

BoliviaBolivia history

President: Celso Torrelio, then Guido Vildoso, then Hernán Siles Zuazo

Brazilian Military regimeBrazil history

President: João Figueiredo

CanadaCanada history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Pierre Trudeau

Civic-Military Dictatorship of UruguayUruguay history

Acting President: Gregorio Conrado Álvarez

Co-operative Republic of GuyanaGuyana history

President: Forbes Burnham

ColombiaColombia history

President: Julio César Turbay Ayala, then Belisario Betancur Cuartas

Dominica

Prime minister: Eugenia Charles

Duvalier dynasty, HaitiHaiti history

President for Life: Jean-Claude Duvalier

EcuadorEcuador history

President: Osvaldo Hurtado

El SalvadorEl Salvador history

Provisional President: Álvaro Magaña

El Stronato: ParaguayParaguay history

President: Alfredo Stroessner

Fourth Dominican RepublicDominican Republic history

President: Antonio Guzmán Fernández, then Salvador Jorge Blanco

Grenada

Queen: Elizabeth II
de facto Prime minister: Maurice Bishop

GuatemalaGuatemala history

President: Efraín Ríos Montt

HondurasHonduras history

Provisional President: Policarpo Paz García
President: Roberto Suazo Córdova

JamaicaJamaica history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Edward Seaga

MexicoMexico history

President: José López Portillo, then Miguel de la Madrid

Military Dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990)Chile history

President: Augusto Pinochet

PanamaPanama history

President: Arístides Royo

Republic of Costa RicaCosta Rica history

President: Rodrigo Carazo Odio, then Luis Monge Álvarez

Republic of CubaCuba history

President of the Council of State: Fidel Castro
President of the Council of Ministers: Fidel Castro

Republic of PeruPeru history

Constitutional President: Fernando Belaúnde Terry
Prime Minister: Manuel Ulloa Elías

Republic of SurinameSuriname history

President: Henk Chin A Sen, then Fred Ramdat Misier
Prime minister: Henk Chin A Sen, then Henry Roëll Neijhorst

Republic of Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago history

President: Ellis Clarke

Republic of VenezuelaVenezuela history

President: Luis Herrera Campins

Saint Lucia

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Winston Cenac, then John Compton
Acting Prime minister: Michael Pilgrim

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Milton Cato

The Bahamas

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Lynden Pindling

United StatesUnited States history

President: Ronald Reagan

Asia

Ba'athist IraqIraq history

President: Saddam Hussein
Prime minister: Saddam Hussein

BangladeshBangladesh history

President: Abdus Sattar, then A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury
Prime minister: Shah Azizur Rahman

BhutanBhutan history

Druk Gyalpo: Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Democratic Republic of AfghanistanAfghanistan history

General Secretary: Babrak Karmal
Chairman: Babrak Karmal

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaSri Lanka history

President: Junius Richard Jayewardene
Prime minister: Ranasinghe Premadasa

Emirate of Ras Al KhaimahUnited Arab Emirates history

ruler: Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi

Hakims of Bahrain/ State of BahrainBahrain history

Emir: Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Prime minister: Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa

Islamic Republic of IranIran history

Supreme Leader: Ruhollah Khomeini
President: Ali Khamenei
Prime minister: Mir-Hossein Mousavi

Islamic Republic of PakistanPakistan history

President: Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq

IsraelIsrael history

President: Yitzhak Navon
Prime minister: Menachem Begin

JapanJapan history

Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Zenko Suzuki, then Yasuhiro Nakasone

Kingdom of JordanJordan history

King: Hussein
Prime minister: Mudar Badran

Kingdom of NepalNepal history

King: Birendra

Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia history

King: Khalid, then Fahd

Lao People's Democratic RepublicLaos history

General Secretary: Kaysone Phomvihane
President: Souphanouvong
Prime minister: Kaysone Phomvihane

LebanonLebanon history

President: Elias Sarkis, then Amine Gemayel
Prime minister: Shafik Wazzan

MalaysiaMalaysia history

Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Ahmad Shah of Pahang
Prime minister: Mahathir Mohamad

Mongolian People's Republic

Chairman: Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal

New Order, IndonesiaIndonesia history

President: Suharto

North KoreaNorth Korea history

General Secretary: Kim Il Sung
President: Kim Il Sung

North Yemen: Yemen Arab RepublicYemen history

President: Ali Abdullah Saleh

People's Republic of ChinaChina history

Paramount Leader: Deng Xiaoping
Chairman; General Secretary: Hu Yaobang
NPC Standing Committee Chairman: Ye Jianying

People's Republic of KampucheaCambodia history

Prime minister: Chan Sy

PhilippinesPhilippines history

President: Ferdinand Marcos
Prime minister: Cesar Virata

Protectorate of Brunei / Nation of BruneiBrunei history

Sultan: Hassanal Bolkiah

QatarQatar history

Emir: Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani
Prime minister: Khalifa bin Hamad

Republic of China: TaiwanTaiwan history

President: Chiang Ching-kuo
Premier: Sun Yun-suan

Republic of CyprusCyprus history

President: Spyros Kyprianou

Republic of IndiaIndia history

President: Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, then Zail Singh
Prime minister: Indira Gandhi

Republic of TurkeyTurkey history

Chairman; President: Kenan Evren
Prime minister: Bülent Ulusu

Second Republic of Maldives

President: Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

SingaporeSingapore history

President: Devan Nair
Prime minister: Lee Kuan Yew

Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma

Chairman: Ne Win
President: San Yu

Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976–present)Vietnam history

General Secretary: Lê Duẩn
Chairmen of the Council of State: Trường Chinh
Chairmen of the Council of ministers: Phạm Văn Đồng

South KoreaSouth Korea history

President: Chun Doo-hwan

South Yemen: People's Democratic Republic of YemenYemen history

President: Ali Nasir Muhammad
Chairmen: Ali Nasir Muhammad
Prime minister: Ali Nasir Muhammad

State of KuwaitKuwait history

Emir: Jaber III
Prime minister: Saad Al-Abdullah

Sultanate of Oman: Al Busaidi dynastyOman history

Sultan: Qaboos bin Said

Syrian Arab RepublicSyria history

President: Hafez al-Assad
Prime minister: Abdul Rauf al-Kasm

ThailandThailand history

King: Bhumibol Adulyadej
Prime minister: Prem Tinsulanonda

United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates history

President: Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Prime minister: Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum

Europe

Andorra

Episcopal Co-Prince: Joan Martí i Alanis
French Co-Prince: François Mitterrand
Prime minister: Òscar Ribas Reig

AustriaAustria history

President: Rudolf Kirchschläger
Chancellor: Bruno Kreisky

BelgiumBelgium history

King: Baudouin
Prime minister: Wilfried Martens

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

General Secretary: Gustáv Husák
President: Gustáv Husák
Prime minister: Lubomír Štrougal

DenmarkDenmark history

Queen: Margrethe II
Prime minister: Anker Jørgensen, then Poul Schlüter

East GermanyGermany history

Chairmen of the State Council: Erich Honecker
Chairman: Willi Stoph

FinlandFinland history

President: Urho Kekkonen, then Mauno Koivisto
Prime minister: Mauno Koivisto, then Kalevi Sorsa

France: Fifth RepublicFrance history

President: François Mitterrand
Prime minister: Pierre Mauroy

Greece: Third RepublicGreece history

President: Konstantinos Karamanlis
Prime minister: Andreas Papandreou

Hungarian People's RepublicHungary history

Chairman: Pál Losonczi
Prime minister: György Lázár

IcelandIceland history

President: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Prime minister: Gunnar Thoroddsen

ItalyItaly history

President: Sandro Pertini
Prime minister: Giovanni Spadolini, then Amintore Fanfani

Kingdom of SpainSpain history

King: Juan Carlos I
Prime minister: Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, then Felipe González

Kingdom of the NetherlandsNetherlands history

Queen: Beatrix
Prime minister: Dries van Agt, then Ruud Lubbers

Liechtenstein

Prince: Franz Josef II
Prime minister: Hans Brunhart

LuxembourgLuxembourg history

Grand Duke: Jean
Prime minister: Pierre Werner

Monaco

Prince: Rainier III
Minister of state: Jean Herly

NorwayNorway history

King: Olav V
Prime minister: Kåre Willoch

People's Republic of BulgariaBulgaria history

General Secretary: Todor Zhivkov
Chairman of the State Council: Todor Zhivkov
Prime minister: Grisha Filipov

People's Socialist Republic of AlbaniaAlbania history

First Secretary: Enver Hoxha
Chairman: Haxhi Lleshi
Prime minister: Adil Çarçani

Polish People's RepublicPoland history

First Secretary: Wojciech Jaruzelski
Prime minister: Wojciech Jaruzelski

Republic of IrelandIreland history

President: Patrick Hillery
Taoiseach: Garret FitzGerald, then Charles Haughey

Republic of MaltaMalta history

President: Agatha Barbara
Prime minister: Dom Mintoff

San Marino

Captains Regent: Ubaldo Biordi, then Giuseppe Maiani, then Marino Venturini

Socialist Republic of RomaniaRomania history

General Secretary: Nicolae Ceaușescu
President: Nicolae Ceaușescu
Prime minister: Ilie Verdeț, then Constantin Dăscălescu

Soviet UnionRussia history

General Secretary: Leonid Brezhnev, then Yuri Andropov
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet: Leonid Brezhnev
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Nikolai Tikhonov

SwedenSweden history

King: Carl XVI Gustaf
Prime minister: Thorbjörn Fälldin, then Olof Palme

SwitzerlandSwitzerland history

President of the Confederation: Fritz Honegger

Third Republic of PortugalPortugal history

President: António Ramalho Eanes
Prime minister: Francisco Pinto Balsemão

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUnited Kingdom history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Margaret Thatcher

Vatican City

Sovereign: John Paul II

West GermanyGermany history

President: Karl Carstens
Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt
Chancellor of West Germany: Helmut Kohl

Yugoslavia: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

President of the Presidency: Sergej Kraigher, then Petar Stambolić
Prime minister: Milka Planinc

Oceania

AustraliaAustralia history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Malcolm Fraser

Dominion of FijiFiji history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Kamisese Mara

Federated States of Micronesia

President: Tosiwo Nakayama

Kiribati

President: Ieremia Tabai

Marshall Islands

President: Amata Kabua

Nauru

President: Hammer DeRoburt

New ZealandNew Zealand history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Robert Muldoon

Palau

President: Haruo Remeliik

Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Julius Chan, then Michael Somare

Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands history

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Solomon Mamaloni

TongaTonga history

King: Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
Prime minister: Fatafehi Tu'ipelehake

Trust Territory of the Pacific IslandsUnited States history

High Commissioner: Janet J. McCoy

Tuvalu

Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Tomasi Puapua

VanuatuVanuatu history

Prime minister: Walter Lini

Wallis and Futuna

King: Tomasi Kulimoetoke II

Western Samoa/ Independent State of Samoa

O le Ao o le Malo: Malietoa Tanumafili II
Prime minister: Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi