The History of Benin since the 16th century,for the geographical area included in 1960 in what was then called the Republic of Dahomey before becoming the People's Republic of Benin.
The Politics of Benin take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic,wherein the President of Benin is both head of state and head of government,and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the legislature. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The current political system is derived from the 1990 Constitution of Benin and the subsequent transition to democracy in 1991. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Benin a "hybrid regime" in 2022.
Émile Derlin Zinsou was a Beninese politician and physician who was the President of Dahomey from 17 July 1968 until 10 December 1969,supported by the military regime that took power in 1967. Zinsou was present at the signing of the treaty that formed the African Union on 12 July 2000 in Togo.
Rosine Honorine Vieyra Soglo was a Beninese politician. Soglo served as First Lady of Benin from 1991 to 1996 during the presidency of her husband,Nicéphore Soglo. She is considered the first First Lady of the democratic era following Benin's transition to a multi-party democracy.
Thomas Boni Yayi is a Beninese banker and politician who was the president of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 presidential election and was re-elected to a second term in March 2011. He also served as the chairperson of the African Union from 29 January 2012 to 27 January 2013.
Sacca Lafia is a Beninese politician who has served in the government of Benin as Minister of the Interior since 2016. Previously he was Minister of Mines,Energy,and Water under President Yayi Boni,beginning in 2007. He is president of the Union for Democracy and National Solidarity (UDS),a political party.
The Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin is a political party of Benin,formed by supporters of president Yayi Boni. In the parliamentary election held on 31 March 2007,the party won 35 out of 83 seats. The party expanded its plurality to 41 seats in the 2011 election that followed the contested reelection of Yayi Boni as president.
Pascal Irénée Koupaki is a Beninese politician who served as Prime Minister of Benin from May 2011 to August 2013. Koupaki worked as an official at the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF),and he was Director of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister from 1996 to 1998. Under President Yayi Boni,Koupaki was Minister of Finance from 2006 to 2007 and then Minister of State for the Exploration,Development,and Evaluation of Public Policy from 2007 to 2011.
Nassirou Bako Arifari is a Beninese politician and academic who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin from 2011 to 2015. He came from an academic background before entering politics.
Lionel Zinsou is a French–Beninese economist and investment banker who was Prime Minister of Benin from 2015 to 2016. Since June 2017,he has been the president of Terra Nova,a centre-left French think tank.
Presidential elections were held in Benin on 6 March 2016,having been delayed by one week due to logistical constraints. Incumbent President Thomas Boni Yayi was at the end of his second presidential term and was constitutionally barred from running for a third. The elections grabbed the interest of many of the country's top businessmen,resulting in over 30 candidates trying to run for the presidency. A second round was held on 20 March,in which businessman Patrice Talon defeated Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou.
Abdoulaye Bio Tchané is a Beninese economist and politician.
Isidore de Souza was a Beninese priest who was Archbishop of Cotonou from 1990 to 1999.
Marcel Alain de Souza was a Beninese politician and banker. He served as President of the ECOWAS Commission from April 2016 until February 2018. He was Minister for Development,Economic Analysis and Forecast of Benin from May 2011 until June 2015.
Marie-Cécile Zinsou is a French-Beninese art historian and entrepreneur,She is president of the Fondation Zinsou,founded in 2005 in Cotonou,Republic of Benin,West Africa,which promotes contemporary art in Africa and leads cultural,educational and social initiatives. In 2014 she opened the first museum of contemporary art in Benin.
Parliamentary elections were held in Benin on 28 April 2019.
Presidential elections were held in Benin on 11 April 2021 to elect the President of the Republic of Benin for a five-year term. Incumbent president Patrice Talon was re-elected for a second term in office with 86% of the vote.
First Lady of Benin is the title attributed to the wife of the President of Benin. Claudine Talon,wife of Patrice Talon,became first lady on her husband's election as president on April 6,2016. There had been no "first gentleman",or its equivalent,as of 2023.
Chantal de Souza Yayi is a Beninese politician and former First Lady of Benin from 2006 until 2016. She is the wife of former Beninese President Thomas Boni Yayi.
Parliamentary elections were held in Benin on 8 January 2023 to elect all 109 members of the National Assembly. The preliminary results of the election were announced on 11 January. The result was a victory for parties supportive of President Patrice Talon,the Progressive Union and Republican Bloc,which together won 81 of the 109 seats.
