Mathieu Kerekou, Beninese politician, Died at 82

  Dead Famous

Mathieu Kerekou, born on September 2, 1933, and died October 14, 2015.

Mathieu was a Beninese politician who was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006.

After seizing power in a military coup, Mathieu ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before Mathieu was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of 1990.

He was defeated in the 1991 presidential election, but was returned to the presidency in the 1996 election and controversially re-elected in 2001.

After leaving office in 2006, Kérékou stayed out of politics and spent time at his homes in Cotonou and Natitingou in northwestern Benin, his native region.

Mathieu suffered a health crisis in 2014 and was taken to Paris for treatment.

Although he recovered, Mathieu continued to suffer health problems, and he died in Benin on 14 October 2015 at the age of 82.

Mathieu death was announced in a statement by President Thomas Boni Yayi.

No cause of death was stated. A week of national mourning was declared.