Originally, the land of present-day Benin was occupied by several kingdoms. The most prominent were called Danhomé (Abomey), Xogbonou (Porto-Novo), Allada, Nikki, Kouandé, Kandi...

The first rulers of Abomey and Porto-Novo came from the Adja-Fon migration, coming from neighboring Togo (Tado). The other peoples come from present-day Nigeria, Niger or Burkina-Faso. Thus, the country was once a hotbed of ancient and brilliant civilizations, built around these kingdoms: city-states.

These well-structured political entities had functional urban centers. They had developed a local trade, based as early as the 17th century on the slave trade, then on the oil palm trade after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.

This trading economy encouraged the establishment, along the coast (nicknamed “Slave Coast”), of trading posts controlled by the English, the Danish, the Portuguese and some French. In 1704, France was authorized to build a port in Ouidah while in 1752, the Portuguese discovered Porto-Novo.

In 1863, the first French protectorate was established with King Toffa of Porto-Novo who sought help in the face of the claims of the King of Abomey and attacks by the English based in Lagos. The same year, Glèlè, king of Abomey, authorized the French to settle in Cotonou. In 1882, the sovereign of the kingdom of Porto-Novo signed a new protectorate agreement with France which sent a “French resident” to assist the king.

In 1894, the French, victorious over the local kings, created the colony of Dahomey and dependencies. The territory takes the name of the most predominant kingdom and the most resistant to foreign occupation: Danhomé with its legendary king Behanzin.

Declared a Republic on December 4, 1958, Benin acceded to international sovereignty on August 1, 1960, under the name of Dahomey. The country is known for the “exemplarity” of its democratic process, which began in February 1990, following the National Conference of Active Forces. Since then, several presidential, legislative and local elections have sanctioned the devolution of political power. In fifteen years, political liberalism has generated three alternations at the top of the State.

It has truly experienced two waves of democratization, crowned with elections from which the leaders came. The first dates back to the dawn of independence with the general elections of December 1960. This period was marked by the incompletion of the term of the President of the Republic, which was swept away by a military coup in 1963. In addition, political life was suffering from monolithism, because very quickly the new president inspired the fusion of political parties into a single official: the Dahomean Unity Party (PDU). The second wave of democratization has been under way since February 1990. Its specificity is that it is long-term and allows for the stability of democratic institutions.

More generally, the country's contemporary political history can be sequenced into three major periods: the time of political instability, the military-Marxist time, and the time of Democratic Renewal.

The period of political instability marked the first twelve years of independence. A series of Coups d'État followed until 1970, earning the country the name “Africa's sick child”. The founding act of this instability was the putsch of Colonel Christophe Soglo who overthrew Hubert MAGA, the father of independence, democratically elected, on October 28, 1963.

Indeed, with the new Constitution adopted in November 1960, the general elections, held on 11 December 1960, confirmed the maintenance of Hubert Maga in power. But taking advantage of social unrest in the country, the army took power in 1963. Three months later, the management of the country was handed over to a civilian government.

Sourou Migan Apithy became President of the Republic and Justin Ahomadégbé became his Prime Minister and Vice President. A new Constitution was adopted by referendum on 5 January 1964. But these two government leaders could not agree. On December 1, 1965, the army forced them to resign. However, civilians retained power. It fell to the President of the National Assembly, Taïrou Congacou. Unsatisfied with his governance, Christophe Soglo, who became a general, once again propelled the army to the forefront.

On December 22, 1965, he proclaimed himself de facto President of the Republic. He was in turn overthrown by the young military officers on 17 December 1967. Three days later, Major Maurice Kouandété, mastermind of the coup d'État, confided the destiny of the country to the Head of the Army, Lieutenant-Colonel Alphonse Alley.

In May 1968, presidential elections were organized by the officers in order to once again hand over the scepter of Dahomey to a civilian authority. However, the country's three traditional political leaders Hubert Maga, Sourou Migan Apithy and Justin Ahomadégbé are not allowed to run. They then called for a boycott of these elections.

In their absence, a stranger was carried by the people. However, the elected candidate, Dr. Basile Adjou Moumouni, gave the soldiers something to chew on. An international staff member of the World Health Organization based in Brazzaville, the elected Head of State was not political and did not reassure the military. They certainly had concerns about maintaining their privileges.

In doing so, the military used the low turnout to cancel the results of these elections. In the wake of pressure, on July 17, 1968, they installed an alternative civilian in the Presidency: Émile Derlin Zinsou.

The new Head of State, formerly elected to the Assembly of the French Union, was in reality the country's fourth political tenor. Accustomed to Dahomean political life, he was the consensus within the Revolutionary Military Committee (CMR).

With the old demons still living in the Army, it invited itself back into the limelight. Colonel Maurice Kouandété ejected Emile Zinsou from power on December 12, 1969. As usual, he did not run the country. He entrusted the management of it to another officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Emile de Souza. In May 1970, the soldiers committed themselves to leaving the head of the Executive. To ward off the fate of instability, a new formula was found: a rotating presidency was established. It consisted of the formation of a government led in turn by the three main civilian political actors: Maga, Apithy and Ahomadégbé.

The country's three political leaders, who are firmly established electorally in a region, should succeed one another as supreme judges every two years. At the end of Hubert Maga's term in May 1972, Justin Ahomadégbé took over. But the formula did not catch on for long. On October 26, 1972, the Army seized power again, with Battalion Chief Mathieu Kérékou. He swept away this triumvirate, mocked like a “three-headed monster.” It is the beginning of the country's second strong political era.

The second phase, military-Marxist, extends from this seizure of power to the National Conference in February 1990. In 1975, the military government made decisive strategic and ideological choices. The Republic of Dahomey is renamed the People's Republic of Benin. She proclaimed her adherence to the socialist economy of Marxist-Leninist orientation. The country was covered by a dictatorial regime. Several opponents were murdered, tortured and exiled. Starting in the mid-1980s, power was cornered by an unprecedented economic situation, which was derived from a series of factors: international gloom, deception, concussion, and imperiousness.

Bankrupt, the state stopped paying salaries. Faced with this situation, fuelled by the ideologists of the Communist Party of Dahomey, the street rumbled by protest demonstrations. Unarmed, the military-Marxist junta resigned itself to carrying out political, economic, and social reforms. On December 6, 1989, it abandoned socialism as the ideological orientation of the state and convened a National Conference. In addition, political prisoners were amnestied and could return to participate in these “Estates-General” announced for the month of February.

The time for Democratic Renewal, dedicated to this high mass of the vital forces of the Nation, is still ongoing. From 19 to 28 February 1990, the National Conference brought together more than half a thousand delegates from the various components of the country at the PLM Alédjo Hotel under the presidency of Monsignor Isidore de Souza.

It resulted in two main decisions. The first established economic and political liberalism, democracy and the rule of law. The second appointed a Prime Minister to support General Mathieu Kérékou, who was retained in the presidency, but deprived of most of his prerogatives. A wind of democratic renewal enveloped Benin.

The Prime Minister appointed by the National Conference, Nicéphore Soglo, administrator of the World Bank, is responsible for leading the government during the transitional period. The mission of this Government is to implement the main measures leading to the adoption of a new Constitution and the organization of general elections. Contrary to the other transitional experiences of the countries of the subregion, the two main actors of this period, President Mathieu Kérékou and Prime Minister Nicéphore Soglo, knew how to play their part loyally and tune their violins during the twelve months of its duration.

On 11 December 1990, a new fundamental law, that of the Fifth Republic, was promulgated after its adoption by referendum. It reflects well the decisions of the National Conference. It is based on democracy and the rule of law. She opts for a presidential republican regime with separation of the three powers: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.

Three months later, legislative and presidential elections marked the end of the transition period. The new unicameral National Assembly is elected for a term of four years. It is chaired by Master Adrien Houngbédji, lawyer and former political exile.

In the second round of the presidential elections, Nicéphore Soglo triumphed over Mathieu Kérékou. But in 1996, he had to hand over his presidential chair to Mathieu Kérékou at the end of the presidential elections. Five years later, the Beninese once again placed their trust in General Mathieu Kérékou.

In 2006, in the absence of Mathieu Kérékou and Nicéphore Soglo, the political game became more open. The first round of elections took place on 5 March 2006. Twenty-six candidates ran for the supreme office: regulars and newcomers. Among them, Adrien Houngbédji and Bruno Amoussou, both former ministers of Kérékou and former presidents of the National Assembly. Against all odds, it was Boni Yayi, portrayed by his opponents as the emanation of “a spontaneous generation in politics”, who delighted them in the limelight. He won the final decision with over 75% of the votes cast. The following year, his supporters united in the Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Emergeant (FCBE) won the legislative elections. In the process, the elected President of the National Assembly Mathurin Nago came from this movement.

Two main players then emerged within the Beninese political class: the President of the Republic Boni Yayi and his second-round challenger, Adrien Houngbédji, who acted as the “main opponent” to power.

In 2011, Boni Yayi was re-elected for a new term of five years as President of the Republic, starting with the first round of the presidential elections.

In March 2016, the Beninese people chose President Patrice TALON at the end of the 2nd round of the presidential election. On April 6, 2016, President Patrice TALON was sworn in and took the reigns of power.