Heads of government of Benin
Encyclopedia

Prime Ministers of Benin (1960–Present)

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
Tenure Portrait Incumbent Affiliation Notes
French Dahomey
French Dahomey
Dahomey was a French colony of and a part of French West Africafrom 1904 to 1958. After World War II, by the establishment of the French Fourth Republic in 1947, Dahomey became part of the French Union with an increased autonomy. On 11 December 1958, the French Fifth Republic was established and...

Overseas Territory of France
25 May 1957 to 26 July 1958 Sourou-Migan Apithy
Sourou-Migan Apithy
Sourou-Migan Marcellin Joseph Apithy was a Beninese political figure most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived....

, Vice President of the Government Council
PD  
26 July 1958 to 4 December 1958 Sourou-Migan Apithy
Sourou-Migan Apithy
Sourou-Migan Marcellin Joseph Apithy was a Beninese political figure most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived....

, President of the Government Council
 
Republic of Dahomey
Republic of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union...

Autonomous
(République de Dahomé
Republic of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union...

)
4 December 1958 to 22 May 1959 Sourou-Migan Apithy
Sourou-Migan Apithy
Sourou-Migan Marcellin Joseph Apithy was a Beninese political figure most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived....

, President of the Provisional Government
PD  
22 May 1959 to 1 August 1960 Coutoucou Hubert Maga
Hubert Maga
Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey .Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. See . He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...

, Prime Minister
RDD  
Republic of Dahomey
Republic of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union...

Independence from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

(République de Dahomé
Republic of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union...

)
1 August 1960 to 31 December 1960 Coutoucou Hubert Maga
Hubert Maga
Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey .Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. See . He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...

, Prime Minister
RDD Thereafter Head of Government performed by Head of State until 25 January 1964
31 December 1960 to 28 October 1963 Coutoucou Hubert Maga
Hubert Maga
Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey .Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. See . He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...

, President
Deposed
1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état
The 1963 Dahomey coup d'état was staged on October 28, 1963 by Christophe Soglo, who took control of the country to prevent a civil war. He overthrew Hubert Maga, whose presidency faced extreme economic stagnation and a host of other problems.-Background:...

28 October 1963 to 25 January 1964 General Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo was a Beninese military officer and political leader and one of the most important figures in Benin's period of political instability and frequent, though usually bloodless, coups during the 1960s.-Biography:...

, Head of the Provisional Government
Mil
25 January 1964 to 29 November 1965 Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin was a Beninese politician most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...

, Prime Minister
PD  
29 November 1965 to 21 December 1967 General Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo
Christophe Soglo was a Beninese military officer and political leader and one of the most important figures in Benin's period of political instability and frequent, though usually bloodless, coups during the 1960s.-Biography:...

, Prime Minister
Mil
21 December 1967 to 17 July 1968 Major Iropa Maurice Kouandété
Maurice Kouandété
Iropa Maurice Kouandété was a military officer and politician in Benin . He was born to Somba parents in the Gaba District of Dahomey. Kouandété enrolled in the army in his late teens. Over the years, he became popular among junior soldiers in the north and gained the contempt of those in the south...

, Prime Minister
Mil Thereafter Head of Government performed by Head of State until 12 March 1990
17 July 1968 to 10 December 1969 Émile Derlin Henri Zinsou
Emile Derlin Zinsou
Emile Derlin Zinsou is a Beninese political figure 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 also served in the French senate from 1955 to 1958. He was previously Minister of Foreign Affairs from...

, President
Deposed
10 December 1969 to 13 December 1969 Major Iropa Maurice Kouandété
Maurice Kouandété
Iropa Maurice Kouandété was a military officer and politician in Benin . He was born to Somba parents in the Gaba District of Dahomey. Kouandété enrolled in the army in his late teens. Over the years, he became popular among junior soldiers in the north and gained the contempt of those in the south...

, Chief-of-Staff of the Army
Mil 2nd Term
13 December 1969 to 7 May 1970 Paul-Émile de Souza
Paul-Émile de Souza
Colonel Paul-Émile de Souza was a Beninese army officer and political figure. He was chairman of the Directory of Dahomey from December 13, 1969 to May 7, 1970.-Military career:...

, Chairman of the Directory
Mil
7 May 1970 to 7 May 1972 Major Coutoucou Hubert Maga
Hubert Maga
Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey .Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. See . He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...

, Chairman of the Presidential Council
RDD 2nd Term
7 May 1972 to 26 October 1972 Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin was a Beninese politician most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey they lived...

, Chairman of the Presidential Council
PD 2nd Term; deposed
26 October 1972 to 30 November 1975 General Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou, was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before he was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of...

, President
Mil/PRPB 1st Term
People's Republic of Benin
People's Republic of Benin
The People's Republic of Benin was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which would become present-day Benin. The People's Republic was established on November 30, 1975, shortly after the 1972 coup d'état in the Republic of Dahomey...

(République populaire du Benin
People's Republic of Benin
The People's Republic of Benin was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which would become present-day Benin. The People's Republic was established on November 30, 1975, shortly after the 1972 coup d'état in the Republic of Dahomey...

)
30 November 1975 to 1 March 1990 General Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou, was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before he was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of...

, President
Mil/PRPB 1st Term (contd.)
Republic of Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...

 (République du Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...

)
1 March 1990 to 12 March 1990 General Ahmed Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou, was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before he was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of...

, President
PRB 1st Term (contd.)
12 March 1990 to 4 April 1991 Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo
Nicéphore Soglo
Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo is a Beninois politician who was Prime Minister of Benin from 1990 to 1991 and President from 1991 to 1996. He has been the Mayor of Cotonou since 2003.-Biography:Soglo was born in Togo...

, Prime Minister
n-p Becoming President; thereafter Head of Government performed by Head of State until 4 April 1996
4 April 1991 to 4 April 1996 Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo
Nicéphore Soglo
Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo is a Beninois politician who was Prime Minister of Benin from 1990 to 1991 and President from 1991 to 1996. He has been the Mayor of Cotonou since 2003.-Biography:Soglo was born in Togo...

, President
PRB Inaugurated 4 April 1991
9 April 1996 to 14 May 1998 Adrien Houngbédji
Adrien Houngbédji
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 for a second...

, Prime Minister
PRD Thereafter Head of Government performed by Head of State until 28 May 2011
14 May 1998 to 6 April 2006 General Mathieu Ahmed Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou
Mathieu Kérékou, was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before he was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of...

, President
FARD 2nd Term
6 April 2006 to 28 May 2011 Thomas Yayi Boni
Yayi Boni
Dr. Thomas Yayi Boni , a Beninese banker and politician, is the current President of Benin. He took office on 6 April 2006 after winning elections held in the previous month.-Biography:...

, President
n-p Inaugurated 6 April 2006
28 May 2011 to Present Pascal Koupaki
Pascal Koupaki
Pascal Irénée Koupaki is a Beninese politician who has been Prime Minister of Benin since May 2011. Koupaki worked as an official at the Central Bank of West African States and the International Monetary Fund , and he was Director of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister from 1996 to 1998...

, Prime Minister
n-p

Affiliations


FARD Front d'Action pour le Rénouveau et le Développement
            (Action for Renewal and Development) centrist
PD Parti Démocratique
            (Democratic Party) merger of PRD and UDD 1964
PRB Parti de la renaissance du Bénin
      (Benin Rebirth Party
Benin Rebirth Party
The Benin Rebirth Party is an oppositional, more or less liberal party in Benin. The party is led by Nicéphore Soglo, who was President of Benin from 1991 to 1996....

) centrist
UTRD Union pour le Triomphe du Renouvellement Démocratique
            (Union for the Triumph of the Democratic Renewal)
PRD Parti du Rénouveau Démocratique
Parti du renouveau démocratique
Parti du renouveau démocratique can refer to:* Democratic Renewal Party * Party for Democratic Renewal...


            (Democratic Renewal Party
Democratic Renewal Party (Benin)
The Democratic Renewal Party is a political party of Benin led by Adrien Houngbédji. Houngbédji lived in exile for several years, but returned to Benin to take part in the National Conference of 1990. He built up his party largely around other exiled Beninese...

)
PRPB Parti de la Révolution Populaire du Bénin
            (People's Revolutionary Party of Benin
People's Revolutionary Party of Benin
The People's Revolutionary Party of Benin was a political party in the People's Republic of Benin. It was founded in 1975 by General Mathieu Kérékou. With the new constitution of November 30, 1975, PRPB became the sole legal party in the country...

) communist, only legal party 1979-1990
RDD Rassemblement Démocratique du Dahomé
Rassemblement Démocratique du Dahomé
The Rassemblement Démocratique du Dahomé was a political party of Dahomey . It was named and run by Hubert Maga....


            (Dahomey Democratic Rally)
UDD Union Démocratique du Dahomé
            (Dahomey Democratic Union)
Mil Military
Military of Benin
The Benin Armed Forces constitutes the army, navy, air force, and national gendarmerie of Benin. For a number of years, the Belgian Armed Forces have had an active programme of co-operation with Benin, offering training and coaching, donating redundant military equipment and using the county for...

n-p non-partisan
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Sources

  • http://www.rulers.org/rulb1.html#benin
  • http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Benin.html
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/
  • African States and Rulers, John Stewart, McFarland
  • Guinness Book of Kings, Rulers & Statesmen, Clive Carpenter, Guinness Superlatives Ltd
  • Heads of State and Government, 2nd Edition, John V da Graca, MacMillan Press 2000
  • Whitaker's Almanack 1986 to 2004, J. Whitaker and Sons Ltd/A&C Black, London

See also

  • Heads of state of Benin
    Heads of state of Benin
    -Presidents of Benin :-Affiliations:-Latest election:-Sources:*http://www.rulers.org/rulb1.html#benin*http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Benin.html*http://news.bbc.co.uk/...

  • Colonial heads of Benin (Dahomey)
    Colonial heads of Benin (Dahomey)
    -List of Colonial Heads of Dahomey and Porto-Novo :For continuation after independence, see: Heads of State of Benin-Sources:* http://www.rulers.org/rulb1.html#benin...

  • Lists of office-holders
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