Patrice Talon

Patrice Talon
President of Benin
Assumed office
6 April 2016
Preceded by Thomas Boni Yayi
Personal details
Born (1958-05-01) 1 May 1958
Dahomey
Political party Independent
Children 2
Alma mater University of Dakar
Religion Roman Catholicism

Patrice Talon (born 1 May 1958) is a Beninese businessman and politician who has been President of Benin since 6 April 2016.

Biography

Known as the "King of Cotton" for his involvement in the cotton industry, Talon was a backer of President Thomas Boni Yayi, financing his campaigns for the 2006 and 2011 elections.[1] However, after the two fell out, Talon was accused of involvement in a plot to kill Boni Yayi and fled to France in 2012. He was subsequently pardoned in 2014.[2]

Talon ran as an independent candidate in the March 2016 presidential election. Although he finished second to Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou of the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin in the first round of voting, he won the second round with 65% of the vote. Speaking on 25 March 2016, Talon said that he would "first and foremost tackle constitutional reform", discussing his plan to limit presidents to a single term of five years in order to combat "complacency". He also said that he planned to slash the size of the government from 28 to 16 members.[3]

He was sworn in on 6 April 2016.[4] The composition of his government was announced later in the day. There was no prime minister, and two defeated presidential candidates who had backed Talon in the second round, Pascal Koupaki and Abdoulaye Bio-Tchane, were appointed to key posts; Koupaki as Secretary-General of the Presidency and Bio-Tchane as Minister of State for Planning and Development.[5]

Personal life

He is married to a woman from Porto-Novo and has two children.

References

  1. ↑ "Benin heading for presidential run-off vote", France 24, 8 March 2016
  2. ↑ "Benin president pardons 'poison-plot' businessman who fled to France", RFI, 15 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Newly-elected Benin president aims to reduce presidential terms", Reuters, 26 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Businessman sworn in as Benin's president", Reuters, 6 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Vincent Duhem, "Bénin : Patrice Talon nomme un gouvernement sans Premier ministre", Jeune Afrique, 6 April 2016 (French).
Political offices
Preceded by
Thomas Boni Yayi		 President of Benin
2016–present 		Incumbent
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