'''Jerry John Rawlings''' (22 June 1947{{spnd}}12 November 2020)<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica 2020">{{cite web | title=Jerry J. Rawlings – Biography & Facts | website=Encyclopedia Britannica | date=12 November 2020 | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jerry-J-Rawlings | access-date=8 January 2021}}</ref> also known by the nickname '''Junior Jesus''',<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 May 2024 |title=FLASHBACK: How JJ Rawlings got his infamous 'Junior Jesus' nickname |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/FLASHBACK-How-JJ-Rawlings-got-his-infamous-Junior-Jesus-nickname-1929288 |access-date=8 May 2024 |website=Ghana Web}}</ref> was a Ghanaian military officercoup leader, aviator and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a [[military junta]] until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected [[president of Ghana]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ghana : History |url=http://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/ghana/history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507232832/http://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/ghana/history |archive-date=7 May 2019 |access-date=22 May 2019 |website=thecommonwealth}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=4 June 2020 |title=Rawlings hails frontline health workers |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/news/national/rawlings-hails-frontline-health-workers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605200655/https://www.myjoyonline.com/news/national/rawlings-hails-frontline-health-workers/ |archive-date=5 June 2020 |access-date=5 June 2020 |website=MyJoyOnline. |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Jerry J. Rawlings {{!}} head of state, Ghana|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jerry-J-Rawlings|access-date=3 August 2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
Rawlings came to power in Ghana as a [[flight lieutenant]] of the [[Ghana Air Force]] following [[1979 Ghanaian coup d'état|a coup d'état]] in 1979. Prior to that, he led an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling military government on Tuesday, 15 May 1979, just five weeks before scheduled democratic elections were due to take place. After handing power over to a civilian government, he overthrew the democratically elected Government through a military coup on Thursday, 31 December 1981 as the chairman of the [[Provisional National Defence Council]] (PNDC). <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Legacy of J.J. Rawlings in Ghanaian Politics, 1979-2000 |url=https://asq.africa.ufl.edu/adedeji_summer01/ |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=asq.africa.ufl.edu |language=en-US}}</ref>
