| Tenure
| Incumbent
| Affiliation
| Notes
|
| Republic of Dahomey | Autonomous
|
| 4 December 1958 to 1 August 1960 | René Tirant , High Commissioner | |
|
| 1 August 1960 to 31 December 1960 | Coutoucou Hubert Maga, Head of State | RDD |
|
| Republic of Dahomey | Independent from France
|
| (République de Dahomé)
|
| 31 December 1960 to 27 October 1963 | Coutoucou Hubert Maga, President | RDD | 1st Term
|
| 27 October 1963 to 28 October 1963 | Provisional Government:- | |
|
| Coutoucou Hubert Maga, Head of the Provisional Government | RDD |
|
| Sourou-Migan Apithy | PRD |
|
| Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomętin | UDD |
|
| 28 October 1963 to 25 January 1964 | General Christophe Soglo , Head of the Provisional Government | Mil | 1st Term
|
| 25 January 1964 to 27 November 1965 | Sourou-Migan Apithy, President | PD | Forced to resign by Gen.Christophe Soglo
|
| 27 November 1965 to 29 November 1965 | Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomętin, acting President | PD | 1st Term
|
| 29 November 1965 to 22 December 1965 | Tahirou Congacou , acting President | PD |
|
| 22 December 1965 to 19 December 1967 | General Christophe Soglo , President | Mil | 2nd Term
|
| 19 December 1967 to 20 December 1967 | Jean-Baptiste Hachčme , Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee | Mil |
|
| 20 December 1967 to 21 December 1967 | Lieutenant-Colonel Iropa Maurice Kouandété , Head of State | Mil | 1st Term
|
| 21 December 1967 to 17 July 1968 | Alphonse Amadou Alley, Head of State | Mil |
|
| 17 July 1968 to 10 December 1969 | Émile Derlin Henri Zinsou , President | | Nominated by the military regime; deposed
|
| 10 December 1969 to 13 December 1969 | Major Iropa Maurice Kouandété , Chief-of-Staff of the Army | Mil | 2nd Term
|
| 13 December 1969 to 7 May 1970 | Paul-Émile de Souza , Chairman of the Directory | Mil |
|
| 7 May 1970 to 7 May 1972 | Major Coutoucou Hubert Maga, Chairman of the Presidential Council | RDD | 2nd Term; Presidential Council formed after Presidential elections abandoned
|
| Sourou-Migan Apithy | PD |
|
| Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomętin | PD |
|
| 7 May 1972 to 26 October 1972 | Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomętin, Chairman of the Presidential Council | PD | 2nd Term; deposed
|
| 26 October 1972 to 30 November 1975 | Major Mathieu Kérékou, President | Mil/PRPB | 1st Term
|
| People’s Republic of Benin (République populaire du Benin)
|
| 30 November 1975 to 29 September 1980 | General Mathieu Kérékou, President | Mil/PRPB | 1st Term (contd.); changed name to Ahmed Kérékou on conversion to Islam
|
| 29 September 1980 to c.1990 | General Ahmed Kérékou, President of the Military Revolutionary Government and Head of State | 1st Term (contd.); previously named Mathieu Kérékou; shortly thereafter reportedly a Born-again Christian once again using Mathieu Kérékou; sometime Brigadier-General; re-elected 31 July 1984
|
| c.1990 to 1 March 1990 | General Mathieu Kérékou, President and Head of the Armed Forces | 1st Term (contd.)
|
| Republic of Benin (République du Benin)
|
| 1 March 1990 to 4 April 1991 | General Ahmed Mathieu Kérékou, President | PRB | 1st Term (contd.)
|
| 4 April 1991 to 4 April 1996 | Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo , President | PRB | Inaugurated 4 April 1991
|
| 4 April 1996 to present | General Mathieu Ahmed Kérékou, President | FARD | 2nd Term; re-elected 22 March 2001; inaugurated 3 April 2001
|
