Benin : Political unrest amid attempted constitution amendment
Following the decision by majority MPs to introduce a proposal to amend the Beninese constitution, the party « Les Démocrates » is making every effort to block this amendment project. As the leading opposition party, « Les Démocrates », in collaboration with other political parties, has held discussions on the current issues related to the constitutional revision and amendment of the electoral code.
After these discussions, the opposition parties drafted a memorandum with clear proposals, which will be presented if the National Assembly convenes a session to review the Electoral Code. These opposition forces also insist on the necessity of a « national dialogue » to ease the political climate in Benin. According to the party’s second vice-president, Nourénou Atchadé, these national meetings should bring together all political forces and civil society in Benin.
The text subject to modification was proposed by MP Assan Séibou, the president of the parliamentary group of the Republican Bloc, one of the two main parties in the ruling coalition. According to Mr. Séibou, this proposal to amend the constitution aims primarily to revise the electoral calendar to hold the presidential election before local and legislative elections, contrary to the current text. According to the MP, this revision will resolve once and for all the issue of endorsing candidates for the presidential election.
In a decision dated January 4, 2024, the Constitutional Court ordered the National Assembly to correct the inconsistencies related to the endorsement in the Electoral Code. According to the schedule for the general elections in 2026, local and legislative elections take place before the presidential election. However, at the time of submitting presidential candidacy files, not all new mayors will have taken office, and the new parliament will not yet have been installed.
MP Assan Séibou, who introduced the bill to amend the Constitution, announces having discussed it with President Patrice Talon, who is willing to reduce the duration of his mandate to resolve the issue. Normally, Mr. Talon’s second term ends in May 2026, but the proposed constitutional revision plans to hold the presidential election in March, implying President Talon’s departure from power in the same month.
Opponents, led by the « Les Démocrates » party, do not agree with this. They emphasize that during their meeting with the Head of State on January 22, 2024, they made it clear that touching the fundamental law is out of the question.
