List of presidents of Benin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of presidents of Benin (formerly Dahomey) since the formation of the post of President in 1960, to the present day.
List of officeholders
- Political parties
- Other factions
- Status
Denotes acting or interim head of state
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Beath) |
Term of office | Political party | Elected | Government(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| Republic of Dahomey (1960–1975) | |||||||||
| 1 | Hubert Maga (1916–2000) |
1 August 1960 | 28 October 1963 (Deposed) |
3 years, 88 days | Independent | – | Maga I | ||
| PDU | 1960 | ||||||||
| – | Christophe Soglo (1909–1983) acting[a] |
28 October 1963 | 25 January 1964 | 89 days | Military | – | Maga I | ||
| 2 | Sourou-Migan Apithy (1913–1989) |
25 January 1964 | 27 November 1965 (Resigned) |
1 year, 306 days | PDD | 1964 | Apithy | ||
| – | Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin (1917–2002) acting[b] |
27 November 1965 | 29 November 1965 | 2 days | PDD | – | Apithy | ||
| – | Tahirou Congacou (1911–1993) acting[c] |
29 November 1965 | 22 December 1965 (Deposed) |
23 days | PDD | – | Apithy | ||
| 3 | Christophe Soglo (1909–1983) |
22 December 1965 | 17 December 1967 (Deposed) |
1 year, 360 days | Military | – | Soglo | ||
| – | Jean-Baptiste Hachème (1929–1998) acting[d] |
17 December 1967 | 20 December 1967 | 3 days | Military | – | Revolutionary Committee | ||
| – | Maurice Kouandété (1932–2003) acting[e] |
20 December 1967 | 21 December 1967 | 1 day | Military | – | Revolutionary Committee | ||
| – | Alphonse Alley (1930–1987) acting[f] |
21 December 1967 | 17 July 1968 | 209 days | Military | – | Revolutionary Committee | ||
| Provisional Government | |||||||||
| 4 | Émile Derlin Zinsou (1918–2016) |
17 July 1968 | 10 December 1969 (Deposed) |
1 year, 146 days | Independent | 1968 (Jul) | Zinsou | ||
| – | Maurice Kouandété (1932–2003) acting[g] |
10 December 1969 | 13 December 1969 | 3 days | Military | – | |||
| – | Paul-Émile de Souza (1930–1999)[h] |
13 December 1969 | 7 May 1970 | 145 days | Military | – | Directory | ||
| 1 | Hubert Maga (1916–2000)[i] |
7 May 1970 | 7 May 1972 | 2 years | Independent | 1970 | Maga II | ||
| 5 | Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin (1917–2002)[i] |
7 May 1972 | 26 October 1972 (Deposed) |
172 days | Independent | Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin | |||
| 6 | Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
26 October 1972 | 30 November 1975 | 3 years, 35 days | Military | – | Kérékou I | ||
| People's Republic of Benin (1975–1990) | |||||||||
| (6) | Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
30 November 1975 | 1 March 1990 | 14 years, 120 days | Military[j] | 1980[5] | Central Committee | ||
| 1984[5] | |||||||||
| PRPB | 1989[5] | ||||||||
| Republic of Benin (1990–present) | |||||||||
| (6) | Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
1 March 1990 | 4 April 1991 | 1 year, 34 days | PRPB[k] | – | Kérékou II | ||
| Independent | |||||||||
| 7 | Nicéphore Soglo (born 1934) |
4 April 1991 | 4 April 1996 | 5 years | Independent[l] | 1991 | Soglo | ||
| (6) | Mathieu Kérékou (1933–2015) |
4 April 1996 | 6 April 2006 | 10 years, 2 days | FARD–Alafia | 1996 | Kérékou III | ||
| 2001 | Kérékou IV | ||||||||
| 8 | Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1951) |
6 April 2006 | 6 April 2016 | 10 years | Independent[m] | 2006 | Yayi I | ||
| – | Yayi II | ||||||||
| – | Yayi III | ||||||||
| – | Yayi IV | ||||||||
| – | Yayi V | ||||||||
| – | Yayi VI | ||||||||
| 2011 | Yayi VII | ||||||||
| – | Yayi VIII | ||||||||
| – | Yayi IX | ||||||||
| – | Yayi X | ||||||||
| 9 | Patrice Talon (born 1958) |
6 April 2016 | 24 May 2026 | 10 years, 48 days | Independent[n] | 2016 | Talon I | ||
| 2021 | Talon II | ||||||||
| 10 | Romuald Wadagni (born 1976) |
24 May 2026 | Incumbent | 95 days | Independent[n] | 2026 | Wadagni | ||
Timeline

Notes
- Styled as Head of the Provisional Government.
- Styled as Chief of Staff of the Army.[2]
- Styled as Chairman of the Presidential Council.
- Succeeded by the Union of Forces of Progress (UFP) at its dissolution on 30 April 1990.
- Supported by the Union for the Triumph of Democratic Renewal (UTDR) and the Benin Rebirth Party (RB).
- Supported by the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE).
- Supported by the Progressive Union Renewal (UPR) and the Republican Bloc (BR).