Benin and Beninese News

Country Profile

Benin,officially,Republic of Benin is a country in West Africa covering an area of approximately 110,000 square kilometers (42,000 sq mi) and with a population of approximately 9.05 million.Its capital is Port Novo.The official language of Benin is French(got independence from France on Aug 01,1960).In 1958, France granted autonomy to the Republic of Dahomey and full independence as of August 1, 1960.


Presidents between 1960 - 2006

The President who led them to independence was Hubert Maga bringing in a democratic government for the next 12 years.(1960-72)

On May 7, 1972, Maga turned over power to Ahomadegbe.

On October 26, 1972, Lt. Col. Mathieu Kerekou overthrew the ruling triumvirate, becoming president under the control of the Military Council .A Marxist -Leninist Dictatorship called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1972 and 1990.The name of the country was changed to the Republic of Benin on March 1, 1990, once the newly formed country's constitution was complete, after the abolition of Marxism-Leninism in the nation in 1989.

In 1991 Mathieu Kerekou was defeated by Nicephore Soglo and became the first black African president to step down after an election.

Mathieu Kérékou returned to power after winning the 1996 vote. In 2001, a closely fought election resulted in Mathieu Kérékou winning another term.

Mathieu Kérékou and former president Nicephore Soglo did not run in the 2006 elections, as both were barred by the constitution's restrictions on age and total terms of candidates.On March 5, 2006, an election was held that was considered free and fair. It resulted in a run-off  between Yayi Boni and Adrien Houngbedji. The runoff election was held on March 19, and was won by Yayi Boni, who assumed office on April 6,2006.


2011 Presidential Elections

A Presidential Election was held in Benin  on March 13, 2011 (after being postponed twice from 27 February and 6 March 2011)
It was the 5th presidential election in the country since the 1991 introduction of multi-party politics and the 1st since Yayi Boni was elected in 2006.
Boni ran for re-election against 13 other candidates, including former National Assembly Head and Political Veteran Adrien Houngbedji and Abdoulaye Bio-Tchane, President of the west african Development Bank.

Presidential Election Results

Candidates - Parties	No. of Votes Polled	% of Votes Polled
Yayi Boni	1,333,153	53.18
Adrien Houngbedji – Democractic Renewal Party	893,976	35.66
Abdoulaye Bio-Tchane	157,642	6.29

 

 

Benin Opposition Leader Rejects Election Results

 

 

Adrien Houngbedji says presidential vote was rigged and disputes

re-election of Boni Yayi.However,International observers from the African Union and others have said the contest was credible despite some failings.