Talon returns to frontline politics as Benin’s first Senate president

Former Benin president Patrice Talon has been elected the country’s first Senate president, months after leaving office. The new upper chamber, created under a constitutional reform, places Talon at the helm of a key institution despite stepping down after two presidential terms.

Patrice Talon was elected on Thursday as the first president of Benin’s Senate, securing 24 of the 25 votes cast, with one blank ballot.

His five-year mandate begins just a week after the upper chamber was formally installed in Porto-Novo.

The Senate was established under a constitutional reform adopted in November 2025, which the government says is aimed at strengthening political stability, national unity and the functioning of state institutions.

Return to public office

Talon, 68, served as Benin’s president from 2016 to 2026 before handing power to his former economy minister and political ally, President Romuald Wadagni, following the April election.

Although he repeatedly dismissed speculation over his political future before the vote, his election places him back at the centre of Benin’s institutional landscape only months after leaving the presidency.

New chamber

The 25-member Senate is made up of former heads of state and other members appointed by President Wadagni.

Among its members are former presidents Thomas Boni Yayi and Nicéphore Soglo, although Soglo was absent from the vote for health reasons.

In his inaugural address, Talon pledged to ensure the Senate operates effectively and said he would work to promote national unity, political stability, peace and democracy through the country’s newly created upper house.