List of presidents of Benin facts for kids
Benin, a country in West Africa, has had many leaders since it became independent in 1960. Before 1975, it was known as Dahomey. The president is the head of the country, similar to a school principal being the head of a school. This list shows all the people who have served as president, from the very first one to the current leader. You'll see how long they were in charge and what political groups they belonged to.
Contents
Leaders of Benin: A Historical Look
This section helps you understand the different presidents Benin has had. It's like a history book, but in a table!
Understanding the Presidents' List
The table below lists all the presidents of Benin. Here's what each part means:
- No. shows the president's number in the list.
- Portrait is a picture of the president.
- Name is the president's full name, with their birth and death years.
- Elected tells you when they were chosen as president.
- Took office is the date they started their job.
- Left office is the date they stopped being president. Sometimes, this was because their term ended, or they resigned, or they were removed from power.
- Time in office shows how long they served.
- Political affiliation tells you which political party or group they were part of.
- Prime minister(s) lists the prime ministers who worked with that president. Sometimes, this position was not active.
What the Colors Mean
The colors in the table and timeline help you quickly see which political group a president belonged to. Dahomeyan Democratic Rally (RDD) - This was a political party. Dahomeyan Democratic Party (PDD) - Another political party. People's Revolutionary Party of Benin (PRPB) - This party was in power during a specific period. Benin Rebirth Party (RB) - A political party. Action Front for Renewal and Development (FARD–Alafia) - Another political party.
Important Terms to Know
- Military means the country was led by people from the armed forces.
- Independent means the president did not belong to a specific political party.
- Denotes acting or interim head of state means the person was temporarily in charge, not officially elected for a full term.
- Deposed in a coup means the leader was removed from power suddenly, usually by the military or another group.
- Resigned means the leader chose to step down from their position.
- Position abolished means the role of Prime Minister was no longer active during that time.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Term of office | Political affiliation | Prime minister(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| Republic of Dahomey (1960–1975) | ||||||||
| 1 | .png) |
Hubert Maga (1916–2000) |
1960 | 1 August 1960 | 28 October 1963 (Removed from power) |
3 years, 88 days | RDD | Himself |
| – |  |
Christophe Soglo (1909–1983) |
— | 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 (Removed from power) |
23 days | PDD | Position abolished |
| 3 | |
Christophe Soglo (1909–1983) |
— | 22 December 1965 | 19 December 1967 (Removed from power) |
1 year, 362 days | Military | Position abolished |
| – | |
Jean-Baptiste Hachème (1929–1998) |
— | 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 (Removed from power) |
1 year, 146 days | Independent | Position abolished |
| – | |
Maurice Kouandété (1932–2003) |
— | 10 December 1969 | 13 December 1969 | 3 days | Military | Position abolished |
| – | |
Paul-Émile de Souza (1930–1999) |
— | 13 December 1969 | 7 May 1970 | 145 days | Military | Position abolished |
| 1 | |
Hubert Maga (1916–2000) |
— | 7 May 1970 | 7 May 1972 | 2 years | RDD | Position abolished |
| 2 | |
Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin (1917–2002) |
— | 7 May 1972 | 26 October 1972 (Removed from power) |
172 days | PDD | Position abolished |
| 5 | .jpg) |
Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
— | 26 October 1972 | 30 November 1975 | 3 years, 35 days | Military | Position abolished |
| People's Republic of Benin (1975–1990) | ||||||||
| (5) | |
Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
1980 1984 1989 |
30 November 1975 | 1 March 1990 | 14 years, 120 days | Military / PRPB | Position abolished |
| Republic of Benin (1990–present) | ||||||||
| (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) | .JPG) |
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 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Patrice Talon (born 1958) |
2016 2021 |
6 April 2016 | Incumbent | 9 years, 76 days | Independent | Position abolished |
A Visual Journey: The Timeline
This timeline is a visual way to see when each president was in power. It shows how long they served and their political group using the same colors as the table. It's like a long bar graph showing the history of leadership in Benin!
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Presidentes de la República de Benín para niños
