Patrice Talon
| Patrice Talon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of Benin | |
|
Assumed office 6 April 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Boni Yayi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1 May 1958 Ouidah, Dahomey |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Claudine Gbènagnon Talon |
| 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.
Early life
Talon is of Fon origins and was born in Ouidah. He studied science at the University of Dakar and transferred to the National School of Civil Aviation in Paris. With dreams of becoming a pilot, Talon failed a medical test and this dream became an impossibility.[1]
Known as the "King of Cotton" for his involvement in the cotton industry, Talon built his empire due to connections with the Beninese political class.[2] He was a backer of President Thomas Boni Yayi, financing his campaigns for the 2006 and 2011 elections.[3] In 2011, Talon received management of Cotonou’s imports at the Port of Cotonou. In 2012, he fled to France after he was accused of embezzling more than 18 million Euros in taxes.[2] He fell out with Boni Yayi and was accused of involvement in a plot to kill him. He was subsequently pardoned in 2014.[4]
President
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.[5]
He was sworn in on 6 April 2016.[6] 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.[7] Talon pledged to increase the fortunes of Benin in five years and improve its relationship with France.[8] Some of his policy goals are reducing the power of the executive and reducing presidents to single terms of five years, an unheard of suggestion in Africa.[1]
Personal life
He is married to a woman from Porto-Novo and has two children.
References
- 1 2 Agon, Benjamin (March 21, 2016). "Patrice Talon: from self-made tycoon to new African leader". Yahoo News. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- 1 2 Adida, Claire (April 13, 2016). "Benin has a new president: Patrice Talon, an ironic outsider politician". Washington Post. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Benin heading for presidential run-off vote", France 24, 8 March 2016
- ↑ "Benin president pardons 'poison-plot' businessman who fled to France", RFI, 15 May 2014.
- ↑ "Newly-elected Benin president aims to reduce presidential terms", Reuters, 26 March 2016.
- ↑ "Businessman sworn in as Benin's president", Reuters, 6 April 2016.
- ↑ Vincent Duhem, "Bénin : Patrice Talon nomme un gouvernement sans Premier ministre", Jeune Afrique, 6 April 2016 (French).
- ↑ "Patrice Talon pledges to 'miraculously' change Benin in 5 years". Africa News. August 26, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Boni Yayi |
President of Benin 2016–present |
Incumbent |
