List of presidents of Benin
| President of the Republic of Benin | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Benin | |
| Residence | Presidential Palace, Porto-Novo |
| Term length | 5 years, renewable once |
| Inaugural holder | Hubert Maga |
| Formation | 31 December 1960 |
| Succession | Vice President of Benin |
| Deputy | Vice President of Benin[1] |
| Salary | 29,810 USD annually[2] |
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|---|
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This is a list of presidents of Benin (formerly Dahomey) since the formation of the post of President in 1960, to the present day.
A total of seven people have served as President (not counting two acting presidents, several interim military officeholders and a collective presidency). Additionally, one person, Mathieu Kérékou, has served on two non-consecutive occasions.
Description of the office[]
Election[]
The President of the Republic shall be elected by direct universal suffrage for a mandate of five years, renewable only one time.[3]
In any case, no one shall be able to exercise more than two presidential mandates.[3]
The election of the President of the Republic shall take place with a uninominal majority ballot in two rounds.[4]
No one may be a candidate for the office of President of the Republic unless:[5]
- He is of Béninese nationality at birth or shall have acquired it for at least ten years;
- He is of good morality and of great honesty;
- He enjoys all his civil and political rights;
- He is at least 40 years old but not more than 70 years old at the date of the filing of his candidacy;
- He resides in the territory of the Republic of Bénin at the time of the elections;
- He enjoys a satisfactory state of physical and mental well-being duly verified by a collegiate board of three doctors sworn and designated by the Constitutional Court.
The President of the Republic shall be elected by an absolute majority of votes cast. If that shall not be obtained in the first round of voting, it shall be followed, after a delay of fifteen days, by a second round.[6]
The only ones who may be presented in the second round of balloting shall be the two candidates who shall have received the greatest number of votes in the first round. In case of the withdrawal of one or both of the two candidates, the next ones shall be presented in the order of their filing after the first balloting.[6]
The candidate having received the relative majority of votes cast in the second round shall be declared elected.[6]
The convocation of the electors shall be made by a decree issued in the Council of Ministers.[7]
The first round of balloting for the election of the President of the Republic shall take place at least thirty days and at most forty days before the expiration date of the powers of the President in office.[8]
The mandate of the new President of the Republic shall take effect by counting from the expiration date of the mandate of his predecessor.[8]
Oath of office[]
Before taking his office, the President of the Republic shall take the following oath:[9]
Before God, the Manes [spirits] of the ancestors, the Nation and before the Béninese People, the only holder of sovereignty;
I, President of the Republic, elected in accordance with the laws of the Republic do solemnly swear
— To respect and defend the Constitution which the Béninese People have freely given to themselves;
— To fulfill loyally the high office that the Nation has entrusted to me;
— To allow myself to be guided only by the general interest and the respect for human rights to consecrate all my strength to the research and the promotion of the common good, of peace and of national unity;
— To preserve the integrity of the national territory;
— To conduct myself everywhere as a faithful and loyal servant of the people.
In case of perjury, that I shall submit to the severity of the law.
This oath shall be received by the President of the Constitutional Court before the National Assembly and the Supreme Court.
Vacancy[]
In case of vacancy of the Presidency of the Republic by death, resignation or permanent impediment, the National Assembly shall reconvene in order to rule on the case with an absolute majority of its members. The President of the National Assembly shall refer the matter to the Constitutional Court which shall certify it and declare the vacancy of the Presidency of the Republic. The duties of President of the Republic, with the exception of those mentioned in Articles 54 paragraph 3, 50, 60, 101, and 154 shall be temporarily exercised by the President of the National Assembly.[10]
The election of a new President of the Republic shall take place thirty days at the least and forty days at most after the declaration of the permanent nature of the vacancy.[10]
In case of bringing an accusation of the President of the Republic before the High Court of Justice, his interim shall be assumed by the President of the Constitutional Court who shall exercise all the duties of President of the Republic with the exception of those mentioned in Articles 54 paragraph 3, 58, 60, 101 and 154.[10]
In case of absence from the territory, of illness and of vacation of the President of the Republic, his interim shall be assumed by a member of the Government whom he shall have designated and within the limitation of powers that he shall have delegated to him.[10]
List of officeholders[]
- Key
Political parties
- Benin Rebirth Party (RB)
- Action Front for Renewal and Development (FARD–Alafia)
Other factions
- Military
- Independent
Status
- Denotes Acting/Interim Head of State
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Term of office | Political affiliation | Prime minister(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| Republic of Dahomey | |||||||||
| 1 | 
|
Hubert Maga (1916–2000) |
1960 | 1 August 1960 | 28 October 1963 (deposed.) |
3 years, 88 days | RDD | Himself | |
| – | 
|
Christophe Soglo (1909–1983)[a] |
— | 28 October 1963 | 25 January 1964 | 89 days | Military | Position abolished | |
| 2 | 
|
Sourou-Migan Apithy (1913–1989) |
1964 | 25 January 1964 | 27 November 1965 (resigned.) |
1 year, 306 days | PDD | Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin | |
| – | 
|
Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin (1917–2002) |
— | 27 November 1965 | 29 November 1965 | 2 days | PDD | Himself | |
| – |
|
Tahirou Congacou (1911–1993) |
— | 29 November 1965 | 22 December 1965 (deposed.) |
23 days | PDD | Position abolished | |
| 3 |
|
Christophe Soglo (1909–1983) |
— | 22 December 1965 | 19 December 1967 (deposed.) |
1 year, 362 days | Military | Position abolished | |
| – |
|
Jean-Baptiste Hachème (1929–1998)[b] |
— | 19 December 1967 | 20 December 1967 | 1 day | Military | Position abolished | |
| – |
|
Maurice Kouandété (1932–2003) |
— | 20 December 1967 | 21 December 1967 | 1 day | Military | Position abolished | |
| – |
|
Alphonse Alley (1930–1987) |
— | 21 December 1967 | 17 July 1968 | 209 days | Military | Kouandété | |
| 4 | 
|
Émile Derlin Zinsou (1918–2016) |
1968 (Jul) | 17 July 1968 | 10 December 1969 (deposed.) |
1 year, 146 days | Independent | Position abolished | |
| – |
|
Maurice Kouandété (1932–2003)[c] |
— | 10 December 1969 | 13 December 1969 | 3 days | Military | Position abolished | |
| – |
|
Paul-Émile de Souza (1930–1999)[d] |
— | 13 December 1969 | 7 May 1970 | 145 days | Military | Position abolished | |
| 1 |
|
Hubert Maga (1916–2000)[e] |
— | 7 May 1970 | 7 May 1972 | 2 years | RDD | Position abolished | |
| 2 |
|
Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin (1917–2002)[e] |
— | 7 May 1972 | 26 October 1972 (deposed.) |
172 days | PDD | Position abolished | |
| 5 | 
|
Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
— | 26 October 1972 | 30 November 1975 | 3 years, 35 days | Military | Position abolished | |
| People's Republic of Benin | |||||||||
| (5) |
|
Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
1980[11] 1984[11] 1989[11] |
30 November 1975 | 1 March 1990 | 14 years, 120 days | Military[f] / PRPB | Position abolished | |
| Republic of Benin | |||||||||
| (5) |
|
Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
— | 1 March 1990 | 4 April 1991 | 1 year, 34 days | PRPB / Independent | Soglo | |
| 6 | 
|
Nicéphore Soglo (born 1934) |
1991 | 4 April 1991 | 4 April 1996 | 5 years | RB | Position abolished | |
| (5) | 
|
Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
1996 2001 |
4 April 1996 | 6 April 2006 | 10 years, 2 days | Independent / FARD–Alafia | Houngbédji | |
| 7 | 
|
Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1951) |
2006 2011 |
6 April 2006 | 6 April 2016 | 10 years | Independent | Koupaki Zinsou | |
| 8 | 
|
Patrice Talon (born 1958) |
2016 2021 |
6 April 2016 | Incumbent | 5 years, 302 days | Independent | Position abolished | |
Timeline[]
Notes[]
- ^ Styled as Head of the Provisional Government.
- ^ Styled as Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee.
- ^ Styled as Chief of Staff of the Army.
- ^ Styled as Chairman of the Directory.
- ^ a b Styled as Chairman of the Presidential Council.
- ^ Retired from the military in 1987, with the rank of a general.[12]
Latest election[]
| Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrice Talon | Mariam Chabi Talata | Independent | 1,982,534 | 86.30 | |
| Paul Hounkpe | Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin | 261,096 | 11.37 | ||
| Corentin Kohoue | Irénée Agossa | The Democrats | 53,685 | 2.34 | |
| Total | 2,297,315 | 100.00 | |||
| Valid votes | 2,297,315 | 94.48 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 134,099 | 5.52 | |||
| Total votes | 2,431,414 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 4,802,303 | 50.63 | |||
| Source: Constitutional Court, Constitutional Court | |||||
See also[]
- Dahomey
- Benin
- Lists of office-holders
References[]
- ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). "Le Bénin se dote d'un vice-président | DW | 04.11.2019". DW.COM.
- ^ "The highest and lowest paid African presidents - Business Daily".
- ^ a b Article 42 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ Article 43 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ Article 44 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ a b c Article 45 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ Article 46 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ a b Article 47 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ Article 53 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ a b c d Article 50 of the Constitution of 1990.
- ^ a b c Elections in Benin African Elections Database
- ^ "Mathieu Kérékou, Dictator Who Ushered In Democracy in Benin, Dies at 82". The New York Times. October 15, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
External links[]
- World Statesmen (Benin)
- 1990 Constitution of Benin(in English)
 Republic of Dahomey (1960–1975) | |
|---|---|
 People's Republic of Benin (1975–1990) | |
| Republic of Benin (1990–present) | |
† Military * Interim | |
- Presidents of Benin
- Lists of national presidents
- Benin-related lists
- 1960 establishments in the Republic of Dahomey