Political Leaders: Benin

Leaders of Benin
(Republic of Benin; to 1975, Republic of Dahomey)

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Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

Parties: RDD: Dahomey Democratic Rally; PRD: Dahomey Republican Party; UDD: Dahomey Democratic Union; PDD: Dahomey Democratic Party (*1964, merger of PRD and UDD); PRPB: Party of the Beninese People's Revolution; PRB: Party for the Rebirth of Benin; FARD-Alafia: Action Front for Renewal and Development-Alafia; PRD (90s): Democratic Renewal Party; FCBE: Cauris Forces for an Emerging Benin

Heads of State

President of the Republic
Coutoucou Hubert Maga       1 Aug 1960 - 27 Oct 1963 (+2000) RDD (1)

Provisional Government 
Coutoucou Hubert Maga                                (+2000) RDD
Sourou-Migan Apithy                                  (+1989) PRD
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin  27 Oct 1963 - 28 Oct 1963 (+2002) UDD

Head of the Provisional Government
Christophe Soglo           28 Oct 1963 - 25 Jan 1964 (+1983) military 

Presidents of the Republic
Sourou-Migan Apithy        25 Jan 1964 - 27 Nov 1965 (+1989) PDD
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin  27 Nov 1965 - 29 Nov 1965 (+2002) PDD (acting)
Tahirou Congacou           29 Nov 1965 - 22 Dec 1965 (+2004) PDD (acting)
Christophe Soglo           22 Dec 1965 - 19 Dec 1967 (+1989) military

Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee
Jean-Baptiste Hachème      19 Dec 1967 - 20 Dec 1967 (+1998) military 

Heads of State
Iropa Maurice Kouandété    20 Dec 1967 - 21 Dec 1967 (+2003) military  
Alphonse Amadou Alley      21 Dec 1967 - 17 Jul 1968 (+1987) military   

President of the Republic
Émile Derlin Henri Zinsou  17 Jul 1968 - 10 Dec 1969 (+2016) n/p

Chief of Staff of Army
Iropa Maurice Kouandété    10 Dec 1969 - 13 Dec 1969 (+2003) military   

Directory
Paul-Émile de Souza (chair)                          (+1999) military
Iropa Maurice Kouandété                              (+2003) military
Benoît Sinzogan            13 Dec 1969 -  7 May 1970         military    

Chairmen of the Presidential Council (2) 
Coutoucou Hubert Maga       7 May 1970 -  7 May 1972 (+2000) RDD
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin   7 May 1972 - 26 Oct 1972 (+2002) PDD

Presidents of the Republic
Mathieu Kérékou            26 Oct 1972 -  4 Apr 1991 (+2015) military/PRPB (3)
Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo   4 Apr 1991 -  4 Apr 1996         PRB
Mathieu Kérékou             4 Apr 1996 -  6 Apr 2006 (+2015) FARD-Alafia
Yayi Boni                   6 Apr 2006 -  6 Apr 2016         n/p, FCBE
Patrice Talon               6 Apr 2016 -                     n/p

(1) Styled head of State to 31 Dec 1960.
(2) The three-men Presidential Council (Maga, Ahomadegbé, Apithy) was introduced in 1970 on a two-year rotating basis. The second chairmanship, Ahomadegbé's, was disrupted by a military coup.
(3) Head of National Council of the Revolution (CNR) to 1980. In that year Kérékou was inaugurated as a civilian president.

Prime ministers

Coutoucou Hubert Maga      22 May 1959 - 31 Dec 1960 (+2000) RDD
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin  25 Jan 1964 - 29 Nov 1965 (+2002) PDD
Iropa Maurice Kouandété    21 Dec 1967 - 17 Jul 1968 (+2003) military
Nicéphore Soglo            12 Mar 1990 -  4 Apr 1991         n/p
Adrien Houngbédji           9 Apr 1996 - 14 May 1998         PRD
Pascal Irénée Koupaki      28 May 2011 -  8 Aug 2013         n/p
Lionel Zinsou              18 Jun 2015 -  6 Apr 2016         n/p

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