In 2015, Benin was a semi-presidential republic with a multi-party system. The two main political parties in Benin were the Union for the Rebirth of Benin (UNRB) and the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE). The UNRB had been in power since 2011 and was led by President Thomas Boni Yayi. During his tenure, President Yayi implemented various reforms aimed at tackling poverty and promoting economic growth. He also sought to promote democracy and human rights by introducing measures such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and improved access to education. Additionally, he sought to strengthen ties with other African nations by joining regional organizations such as ECOWAS and the African Union. Despite these efforts, there were still some tensions between the government and opposition parties which could be seen during protests over issues such as corruption, nepotism and poor governance. Furthermore, there were reports of human rights violations such as arbitrary arrests and torture of political opponents by security forces. See ehealthfacts for Benin in the year of 2005.
Yearbook 2015
Benin. Government alliance The Cauri forces for a prominent Benin (FCBE) won 33 of Parliament’s 83 seats in the April elections. This was a loss of eight seats compared to 2011. With the support of several small parties, FCBE was able to collect 40 seats. However, the opposition appointed the President.
One election theme was about whether the Constitution should be amended to allow President Thomas Boni Yayi, whose term in office expires in 2016, to run for a third term. Yayi said it was not relevant.
Among potential candidates were French-Beninese financier Lionel Zinsou, whom Yayi unexpectedly appointed prime minister in June. The post had been unoccupied since 2013.
Another was the businessman Patrice Talon, who returned after several years in exile. He had previously funded several of Yayi’s election campaigns, but was accused in 2012 of participating in an alleged conspiracy against the president.
According to COUNTRYAAH, Porto-Novo is the capital of Benin which is located in Western Africa. The country was still active in the region. Yayi and Senegal President mediated to resolve the Burkina Faso crisis following a military coup in September. Benin also promised to send 800 soldiers to a regional force to help Nigeria fight the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
- Also see AbbreviationFinder.org for Benin country abbreviations, including geography, history, economy and politics.
Former President Mathieu Kérékou, who ruled the country for 30 years, died in October. He turned 82 years old.
Physical characteristics
The territory is made up of ancient reliefs that do not exceed 700-800 m asl and form the dividing ridge between the Nigerian, Voltaic and Guinean basins. The Atakora massif, to the NW, is the residual part of an archaic relief of quartzite rocks; elsewhere granite rocks dominate. The relief slopes both, to the North, towards the Niger furrow, and, to the South, towards a low coastal plain, bordered by sandy bars that close off large lagoons.
The temperature, which in the coastal plain has high average values (around 26.5 ° C), with limited seasonal variations, drops by a few degrees to the North, where the temperature variations are more marked.Precipitation generally does not exceed 1000-1500 mm per year, but has different regimes: tropical in the central-northern range, with the typical alternation of a rainy season (May-September) and a dry one (October-April); towards the equatorial in the coastal areas, where four seasons alternate, two of which are rainy (March-July and September-October), and two are dry, and the average humidity increases considerably.
The vegetation is dominated by the savannah, progressively wooded towards the S, while the forest is present only along the rivers; palm groves are widespread in the southern plain.
From the hydrographic point of view, the Benin is divided between the Ouémé and Couffo basins, which, originating from the plateau, flow directly towards the Gulf of Guinea, and Niger, which instead drains the northern portion of the territory.