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.
Elections in Benin take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. Both the President and the National Assembly are directly elected by voters,with elections organised by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA).
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.
Adrien Houngbédji is a Beninese politician and the leader of the Democratic Renewal Party,one of Benin's main political parties. He was President of the National Assembly of Benin from 1991 to 1995,Prime Minister of Benin from 1996 to 1998,and President of the National Assembly again from 1999 to 2003. Beginning in 1991,he stood repeatedly as a presidential candidate;he placed second in 2006,but was heavily defeated by Yayi Boni in a second round of voting. From 2015 to 2019,he served for a third time as President of the National Assembly.
Presidential elections were held in Benin on 5 March 2006. Long-term president Mathieu Kérékou,who had led the country for all but four years since 1972,was barred from running for a third term. The constitution not only stipulated an absolute two-term limit,but required presidents to be 70 years old or younger when taking office;Kérékou had turned 70 in 2003. In July 2005,Kérékou signalled that he would not seek to change the constitution,as has been done in some other African countries,so that he could run again. Kérékou's long-time rival Nicéphore Soglo was also barred from standing due to his age.
The unicameral National Assembly is Benin's legislative body.
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.
Parliamentary elections were held in Benin on 30 April 2011,after being delayed from 17 April 2011. Turnout was reportedly low. The election saw a six-seat increase for the Cauri Forces for an Emerging Benin,composed of allies of the president Yayi Boni,which took nearly half the parliamentary seats. The election consolidated Boni's victory in the 2011 presidential elections the previous month;Adrien Houngbédji,the second-placed candidate,had rejected the validity of the presidential election results.
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.
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.
Presidential elections were held in Equatorial Guinea on 24 April 2016. In a vote initially scheduled for November but brought forward by seven months,incumbent President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo retained his office with 93.7 percent of the vote.
Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon is a Beninese politician and businessman who has been president of Benin since 6 April 2016.
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.
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.
