# First Lady of Benin

First Lady of Benin (French: Première Dame de la République de Bénin) is the title attributed to the wife of the President of Benin. Claudine Talon, wife of Patrice Talon, became first lady on her husband's election as president on April 6, 2016. There had been no "first gentleman", or its equivalent, as of 2023.

## History and role

Prior to 1975, when the country's name was changed from the Republic of Dahomey to Benin, the holder of the position was known as the First Lady of Dahomey or wife of the president of Dahomey.
Under the Constitution of Benin, adopted at the National Conference in Cotonou in February 1990, the first lady has no set, official role in government. According to Dodji Amouzouvi, a sociologist and political scientist, "Benin has not yet constitutionalized the role of First Lady. No text yet clearly defines the powers they must have." Instead, a set of customs, protocols, and norms govern the roles and responsibilities of Benin's first ladies. Though the role is not recognized in Beninese law, the first lady has diplomatic, social and political obligations within Beninese politics and society. The first lady often focuses on issues related to socio-economic, education, and healthcare. She will accompany the president on domestic and international trips.
First ladies since Benin's transition from dictatorship to a multi-party system are: Rosine Vieyra Soglo (1991–1996), Marguerite Kérékou (1996–2006), Chantal Yayi (2006–2016), and Claudine Talon (since 2016).
The modern Beninese first ladies have entered politics and other arenas. For example, in 1992 then-First Lady Rosine Vieyra Soglo founded the Benin Rebirth Party (RB) to help garner political support for her husband and his political goals, becoming the first Beninese woman to establish a political party. Vieyra Soglo's successor(and predecessor), Marguerite Kérékou, had a lower profile, but remained a confidante and advisor to her husband, President Mathieu Kérékou. Chantal Yayi, first lady from 2006 to 2016, assisted her older brother, Marcel de Souza, with the creation of a new party.

## First Ladies of Benin

| Names | Term Began | Term Ended | President of Benin | Notes |
| Marie do Régo | August 1, 1960 | October 22, 1963 | Hubert Maga | Inaugural First Lady of the Republic of Dahomey. Maga married Marie do Régo, a Catholic nurse from Ouidah, in 1939. The couple had three daughters and two sons. During her tenure as first lady, do Régo headed a women's organization called le Groupement des Femmes Dahoméennes (GFD), which was created in 1961. She died in 2007. |
| Paule Soglo | October 28, 1963 | January 25, 1964 | Christophe Soglo | Colonel Christophe Soglo came to power in the 1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état. His wife, Paule Soglo, died in 2003. |
| ? | January 25, 1964 | November 27, 1965 | Sourou-Migan Apithy | Apithy was married. |
| ? | January 25, 1964 | November 29, 1965 | Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin | Ahomadégbé was married. |
| ? | November 29, 1965 | December 22, 1965 | Tahirou Congacou | |
| Paule Soglo | December 22, 1965 | December 19, 1967 | Christophe Soglo | Former First Lady Paule Soglo died in 2003. Christophe Soglo removed President Congacou in the 1967 Dahomeyan coup d'état and was later deposed on December 19, 1967. |
| ? | December 18, 1967 | December 19, 1967 | Jean-Baptiste Hachème | Brief military ruler of Benin. Wife unknown. |
| ? | December 20, 1967 | December 21, 1967 | Maurice Kouandété | Military ruler |
| ? | December 21, 1967 | July 17, 1968 | Alphonse Alley | Military ruler |
| Florence Atayi Guy Gaspard | July 17, 1968 | December 10, 1969 | Émile Derlin Zinsou | President Derlin Zinsou was married to the late Florence Atayi Guy Gaspard. He was deposed in the 1969 Dahomeyan coup d'état. |
| ? | December 10, 1969 | December 13, 1969 | Maurice Kouandété | Military ruler |
| Françoise De Souza | December 13, 1969 | May 7, 1970 | Paul-Émile de Souza | Former Dahomey first lady Françoise De Souza died on July 30, 2015. |
| Marie do Régo | May 7, 1970 | May 7, 1972 | Hubert Maga | Second tenure as first lady during the Presidential Council. |
| ? | May 7, 1972 | October 26, 1972 | Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin | Wife became first lady during the Presidential Council. Husband overthrown in a military coup on October 26, 1972, ending the council. |
| Symphorose Béatrice Lakoussan (divorced) Marguerite Kérékou(later) | October 26, 1972 | April 4, 1991 | Mathieu Kérékou | Kérékou seized power in the 1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état. In 1975, he changed the name of the country from Dahomey to the People's Republic of Benin. It became the Republic of Benin in 1990. Kérékou had several polygamous wives and relationships, which produced at least ten children. He rarely appeared in public with any wife during his first tenure in office (1972–1991). Kérékou divorced his wife, Symphorose Béatrice Lakoussan, who later became a national deputy, at some point during his first tenure. Lakoussan stated she disapproved of Kérékou's 1972 coup and his anti-democratic policies, stating "His accession to power was a surprise for me." Kérékou later designated his wife, Marguerite (née Midjo) Kérékou, as First Lady of Benin, especially during his second tenure as president (1996–2006). |
| Rosine Vieyra Soglo | April 4, 1991 | April 4, 1996 | Nicéphore Soglo | Rosine Vieyra Soglo was Benin's first First Lady of the country's democratic era. In 1992, First Lady Vieyra Soglo created the Benin Rebirth Party (RB), becoming the first Beninese woman to found a political party. She later served in the National Assembly of Benin from 1999 to 2019 and the Pan-African Parliament from 2004 to 2009. |
| Marguerite Kérékou | April 4, 1996 | April 6, 2006 | Mathieu Kérékou | Mathieu Kérékou rarely appeared in public with any wife during his first tenure in office (1972–1991). However, he designated his wife, Marguerite (née Midjo) Kérékou, as First Lady of Benin, from 1996 to 2006 during his second tenure in a more public role. Marguerite Kérékou is originally from Ouidah. |
| Chantal de Souza Yayi | April 6, 2006 | April 6, 2016 | Thomas Boni Yayi | Yayi is a native of Ouidah. |
| Claudine Talon | April 6, 2016 | Present | Patrice Talon | Born Claudine Gbènagnon. Incumbent First Lady of Benin since 2016. |