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President of Benin
President of Benin
Président du Bénin (French)
	Flag of Benin
	Incumbent; Patrice Talon; since 6 April 2016
Residence	Presidential Palace, Porto-Novo
Term length	5 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Hubert Maga
Formation	31 December 1960
Succession	Vice President of Benin
Deputy	Vice President of Benin
Salary	18,184,994 West African CFA francs/29,810 USD annually
Website	presidence.bj

The president of Benin (French: Président de la République du Bénin) is both head of state and head of government in Benin. The Cabinet of Benin is under the authority of the President, and serves to advise and help formulate strategies. It also liaises with ministries and other government institutions.

A total of seven people have served as President (not counting two acting presidents, several interim military officeholders and a collective presidency). Additionally, one person, Mathieu Kérékou, has served on two non-consecutive occasions.

Description of the office

Election

The President of the Republic shall be elected by direct universal suffrage for a mandate of five years, renewable only one time.^[3]^[4]

In any case, no one shall be able to exercise more than two presidential mandates.^[3]

The election of the President of the Republic shall take place with a uninominal majority ballot in two rounds.^[5]

No one may be a candidate for the office of President of the Republic unless:^[6]

He is of Béninese nationality at birth or shall have acquired it for at least ten years;
He is of good morality and of great honesty;
He enjoys all his civil and political rights;
He is at least 40 years old but not more than 70 years old at the date of the filing of his candidacy;
He resides in the territory of the Republic of Bénin at the time of the elections;
He enjoys a satisfactory state of physical and mental well-being duly verified by a collegiate board of three doctors sworn and designated by the Constitutional Court.

The President of the Republic shall be elected by an absolute majority of votes cast. If that shall not be obtained in the first round of voting, it shall be followed, after a delay of fifteen days, by a second round.^[7]

The only ones who may be presented in the second round of balloting shall be the two candidates who shall have received the greatest number of votes in the first round. In case of the withdrawal of one or both of the two candidates, the next ones shall be presented in the order of their filing after the first balloting.^[7]

The candidate having received the relative majority of votes cast in the second round shall be declared elected.^[7]

The convocation of the electors shall be made by a decree issued in the Council of Ministers.^[8]

The first round of balloting for the election of the President of the Republic shall take place at least thirty days and at most forty days before the expiration date of the powers of the President in office.^[9]

The mandate of the new President of the Republic shall take effect by counting from the expiration date of the mandate of his predecessor.^[9]

Oath of office

Before taking his office, the President of the Republic shall take the following oath:^[10]

Before God, the Manes [spirits] of the ancestors, the Nation and before the Béninese People, the only holder of sovereignty;
I, President of the Republic, elected in accordance with the laws of the Republic do solemnly swear
— To respect and defend the Constitution which the Béninese People have freely given to themselves;
— To fulfill loyally the high office that the Nation has entrusted to me;
— To allow myself to be guided only by the general interest and the respect for human rights to consecrate all my strength to the research and the promotion of the common good, of peace and of national unity;
— To preserve the integrity of the national territory;
— To conduct myself everywhere as a faithful and loyal servant of the people.
In case of perjury, that I shall submit to the severity of the law.

This oath shall be received by the President of the Constitutional Court before the National Assembly and the Supreme Court.

Vacancy

In case of vacancy of the Presidency of the Republic by death, resignation or permanent impediment, the National Assembly shall reconvene in order to rule on the case with an absolute majority of its members. The President of the National Assembly shall refer the matter to the Constitutional Court which shall certify it and declare the vacancy of the Presidency of the Republic. The duties of President of the Republic, with the exception of those mentioned in Articles 54 paragraph 3, 50, 60, 101, and 154 shall be temporarily exercised by the President of the National Assembly.^[11]

The election of a new President of the Republic shall take place thirty days at the least and forty days at most after the declaration of the permanent nature of the vacancy.^[11]

In case of bringing an accusation of the President of the Republic before the High Court of Justice, his interim shall be assumed by the President of the Constitutional Court who shall exercise all the duties of President of the Republic with the exception of those mentioned in Articles 54 paragraph 3, 58, 60, 101 and 154.^[11]

In case of absence from the territory, of illness and of vacation of the President of the Republic, his interim shall be assumed by a member of the Government whom he shall have designated and within the limitation of powers that he shall have delegated to him.^[11]

List of officeholders

Latest election


Candidate		Running mate	Party	Votes	%
	Patrice Talon	Mariam Chabi Talata	Independent	1,982,534	86.30
	Alassane Soumanou	Paul Hounkpe	Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin	261,096	11.37
	Corentin Kohoue	Irénée Agossa	The Democrats	53,685	2.34
Total				2,297,315	100.00

Valid votes				2,297,315	94.48
Invalid/blank votes				134,099	5.52
Total votes				2,431,414	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				4,802,303	50.63
Source: Constitutional Court, Constitutional Court

References

^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). "Le Bénin se dote d'un vice-président | DW | 04.11.2019". DW.COM.
^ "The highest and lowest paid African presidents - Business Daily".
^ ^a ^b Article 42 of the Constitution of 1990.
^ Cook, Candace; Siegle, Joseph. "Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa". Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
^ Article 43 of the Constitution of 1990.
^ Article 44 of the Constitution of 1990.
^ ^a ^b ^c Article 45 of the Constitution of 1990.
^ Article 46 of the Constitution of 1990.
^ ^a ^b Article 47 of the Constitution of 1990.
^ Article 53 of the Constitution of 1990.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Article 50 of the Constitution of 1990.