Émile Derlin Zinsou
Émile Derlin Henri Zinsou (born March 23, 1918 in Ouidah ; † July 28, 2016 in Cotonou ) was President of Dahomey, today's Benin , from 1968 to 1969 .
Life
Zinsou attended the École normal William Ponty and studied medicine in Dakar . He was politically active during the French colonial era . From 1955 to 1959 he was a member of the French Senate .
After the independence of what was then Dahomey in 1960, he was often entrusted with diplomatic tasks. Domestically, he stayed away from the rival parties. After founding the Organization for African Unity , he was temporarily considered a candidate for the office of Secretary General.
The military regime that seized power in 1967 asked him to take over the presidency, as he had a reputation for being a non-partisan and balanced figure. He took office on July 17, 1968. In December 1969, a military coup ended his presidency. During the one-party rule of Marxist President Mathieu Kérékou from 1972 to 1990, he was considered an opposition member.
When President Kérékou paved the way for democracy, Zinsou became a member of the Haut Conseil pour la République Council, formed on March 9, 1990 , which acted as a provisional supreme body. In addition to Zinsou, this council included the former heads of state Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin , Tahirou Congacou and Hubert Maga .
He was present when the Treaty establishing the African Union was signed in Lomé on July 12, 2000 and was Vice-President of the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie , of which Jacques Chirac is President .
literature
- Emile-Derlin Zinsou , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 06/1976 from January 26, 1976, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Former President of Benin, Emile Zinsou, dead
- ↑ Mathurin C. Houngnikpo, Samuel Decalo: Historical Dictionary of Benin . 4th edition. Scarecrow, Lanham / Toronto / Plymouth 2013, ISBN 978-0-8108-7171-7 , pp. 373 .
Hubert Maga | Christophe Soglo | Sourou-Migan Apithy | Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin | Tahirou Congacou | Christophe Soglo | Maurice Kouandété | Alphonse Amadou Alley | Émile Derlin Zinsou | Maurice Kouandété | Paul-Émile de Souza | Hubert Maga | Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin | Mathieu Kérékou | Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo | Mathieu Kérékou | Bonuses Yayi | Patrice Talon
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zinsou, Émile Derlin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Zinsou, Émile-Derlin; Zinsou, Émile Derlin Henri (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Beninese politician, President of Dahomey (1968–1969) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 23, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ouidah |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 28, 2016 |
| Place of death | Cotonou |