Who runs local government in Benin?
Benin has one level of elected local government: 77 communes, each with a council elected by voters, which then picks the mayor. Above them, 12 departments are run by prefects appointed by central government. A 2021 law moved day-to-day management of each commune to an executive secretary drawn from a national pool of officials, so mayors now have a more political than administrative role. Kings and village heads remain socially important but have no formal powers in the constitution.
Republic of Benin · Unitary presidential republic · Western Africa
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Departments (12) | Prefect appointed by central government | State administration and legal oversight (tutelle) of the communes; not an elected local government. |
| Communes (77) | Communal council elected by voters; the council elects the mayor | The only elected local government since 2003. Since the 2021 Code, communes are graded (special status: Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Parakou, Abomey-Calavi; intermediate; ordinary). |
| Arrondissements, villages and city neighbourhoods | Arrondissement heads and village/neighbourhood heads come from the elected councils | Sub-units of the commune; no separate budget. |
Three questions about local power in Benin
Are local leaders elected?
Communal councillors are elected (most recently on 11 January 2026); mayors are elected by the council. Prefects and the communal executive secretary are appointed.
Which laws set up local government?
Communes, councils, mayors and executive secretaries are set out in Law 2021-14 (Code of Territorial Administration). Kings and customary chiefs work by custom and social standing only.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Councils answer to voters every election; the prefect checks the legality of council decisions; the executive secretary answers to a supervisory board inside the commune and to central rules on staff and budgets.
Traditional and customary authority
Benin has many historic kingdoms (for example Abomey, Porto-Novo and Nikki) whose kings and chiefs keep ceremonial, religious and moral authority, and are often consulted on land and family disputes. The constitution recognises customs only in a general way: the law must set how customary rules are recorded and brought into line with the constitution. Kings have no seat in local councils and no legal power to tax or judge. Vodun priests and other religious leaders are influential in community life but hold no formal office.
Community and neighbourhood power
Villages and city neighbourhoods are the smallest units of the commune. Their councils and heads are linked to the communal elections rather than chosen by custom. Development associations of people from the same home town (including those living in Cotonou or abroad) often fund schools, wells and festivals and lobby the mayor.
Points to know
- The 2021 reform split the job of running a town in two: the elected mayor sets direction, while an appointed executive secretary manages the budget and staff.
- Benin has had only one tier of local government since the first communal elections in 2003; departments are not elected.
- Communal councils elected in January 2026 had 1,815 seats in total, according to the national electoral commission's results.
- Kings in Benin are well known and respected but, unlike in Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire, there is no national house of chiefs set up by the constitution.
Local terms
- Commune
- The basic unit of local government, with an elected council and a mayor.
- Secrétaire exécutif
- Executive secretary: the official who has run a commune's administration and budget since the 2021 reform.
- Préfet
- Prefect: the official appointed by central government to represent the state in a department.
Sources
- Constitution of the Republic of Benin 1990 (rev. 2019), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Loi N° 2021-14 du 20 décembre 2021 portant code de l'administration territoriale en République du Bénin, Secrétariat général du Gouvernement du Bénin, checked 14 October 2026
- Benin: country profile (subnational government structure and finance, 2022 edition), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
- Commission électorale nationale autonome (CENA) – official site, CENA Bénin, checked 14 October 2026
See also: Benin's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.