Government and power in Benin

Who leads Benin, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic.

Who leads Benin?

• Head of state: Romuald Wadagni (Président de la République du Bénin, Chef de l'État, Chef du Gouvernement)
• Head of government: Romuald Wadagni (Chef du Gouvernement de la République du Bénin)
• Foreign minister: Corinne Amori Brunet (Ministre des Affaires étrangères et de l'Intégration des Afrodescendents de la République du Bénin)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Benin

Government

• Government of Benin
  Council of Ministers reports, government decisions, news and public service information.

Parliament

• National Assembly
  Laws passed, session records, committee work and the list of deputies.

Elections

• Autonomous National Electoral Commission
  Election calendars, provisional results, candidate lists and electoral regulations.

Courts

• Supreme Court
  Judgments, case law and reports of Benin's highest court in administrative and judicial matters.
• Constitutional Court
  Decisions on constitutionality, fundamental rights and election disputes.

Public audit

• Court of Auditors
  Public audit reports, rulings on public accounts and reports on budget execution.

Ombudsman

• Mediator of the Republic
  Annual reports and information on complaints against public administration.

Public contracts

• Public Procurement Portal of Benin
  Tender notices, procurement plans and contract awards of Beninese public bodies.
• Public Procurement Regulatory Authority
  Procurement regulation, audit reports, sanctions lists and decisions on procurement disputes.

Laws and the official gazette

• General Secretariat of the Government
  Laws, decrees and the official gazette (Journal officiel) of Benin.

Government below the national level

• Departments (12): Prefect appointed by central government
• Communes (77): Communal council elected by voters; the council elects the mayor
• Arrondissements, villages and city neighbourhoods: Arrondissement heads and village/neighbourhood heads come from the elected councils

How local power works in Benin

Places in Benin

• All 12 departments
• The 3 largest cities
• Official statistics for Benin

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.