Patrice Talon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrice Talon
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Talon in 2020
|
|
| 8th President of Benin | |
| Assumed office 6 April 2016 |
|
| Vice President | Mariam Chabi Talata |
| Preceded by | Thomas Boni Yayi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 May 1958 Ouidah, Dahomey |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Claudine Gbènagnon |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Dakar École nationale de l'aviation civile |
| Signature |  |
.jpg)
Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon (born 1 May 1958) is a Beninese politician and businessman. He has been the president of Benin since 6 April 2016.
Contents
Patrice Talon's Early Life and Business
Patrice Talon was born in Ouidah, a city in Benin. His family comes from the Fon people. He went to school in Dakar, Senegal, where he earned a baccalaureate degree. He then studied science at the University of Dakar. Later, he moved to Paris to attend the École nationale de l'aviation civile. He hoped to become a pilot, but a medical test prevented him from pursuing this dream.
In 1983, Talon started working in the business world. He traded materials used for packaging and farming. In 1985, he returned to Benin and created a company called Intercontinental Distribution Company (SDI). This company provided farming supplies to cotton growers. In 1990, the World Bank suggested that West African countries should allow more private businesses. Benin decided to let private companies handle cotton production. Talon won the chance to set up three cotton processing factories in Benin. Because of his success in the cotton industry, people called him the "King of Cotton." He built his business empire by working with important people in Benin's government.
Talon was a major supporter of former President Thomas Boni Yayi. He helped fund Boni Yayi's election campaigns in 2006 and 2011. Talon's company, Benin Control, also took over two government-owned businesses. In 2011, he was put in charge of managing imports at the Port of Cotonou. In 2012, Talon faced serious accusations and went to France. He later received a pardon in 2014. In 2015, Forbes magazine said Talon was one of the richest people in sub-Saharan Africa. His wealth was estimated to be about US$400 million.
Becoming President of Benin
In March 2016, Patrice Talon ran for president as an independent candidate. He came in second during the first round of voting. The winner of the first round was Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou. However, Talon won the second round with 65% of the votes. Zinsou accepted the results on election night. On 25 March 2016, Talon announced his main goal: to change the country's laws. He wanted to limit presidents to a single five-year term. He believed this would help prevent leaders from staying in power for too long. He also planned to make the government smaller, reducing the number of members from 28 to 16.
Talon officially became president on 6 April 2016. His new government was announced later that day. There was no prime minister. Two candidates who had lost the first round of the election, Pascal Koupaki and Abdoulaye Bio-Tchane, were given important roles in Talon's government. Talon promised to improve Benin's economy and its relationship with France within five years. He also wanted to reduce the power of the president. He appointed 22 ministers, and four of them were women.
On 4 April 2017, the National Assembly (Benin's parliament) voted on Talon's plan to limit presidents to one five-year term. The bill needed 63 votes to pass, but it only received 60 votes. Talon said he would not try to pass the bill again. He was sad about the vote's outcome but respected it because he believes in democracy. He did not say if he would run for reelection in 2021. However, it later became clear that he would. Changes in the law meant that presidential candidates needed the support of 16 members of parliament. Almost all current members of parliament supported Talon's political parties. Many thought Talon might be reelected without anyone running against him. In the end, he was reelected with 86% of the votes.
In July 2023, there was a change of government in neighboring Niger. President Talon spoke out against this change. He supported the former president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum.
In September 2024, authorities in Benin announced that they had uncovered a plan to overthrow President Talon. This plan was supposedly set for 27 September. A businessman and ally of Talon, Olivier Boko, was named as the leader of the plot. A former sports minister, Oswald Homéky, and the commander of the Republican Guard were also named as involved. Boko and Homéky were arrested.
Patrice Talon's Family Life
Patrice Talon is married to Claudine Gbènagnon, who is the First Lady of Benin. She is from Porto-Novo. They have two children together.
See also
In Spanish: Patrice Talon para niños
