In Benin, the proposal for a new revision of the Constitution introduced in parliament divides. The opposition, after a consultation on January 29, expressed its disagreement with the law brought by MP Assan Seibou (Republican Bloc).
This is a common position adopted by the Democrats, the Popular Liberation Movement (MPL), the New National Force (NFN) and the Great Republican Solidarity (GSR). These opposition parties to the Talon regime reject in a press release “any idea of revising the Constitution” et “any attempt to reorganize the electoral calendar”.
The coalition nevertheless accepts the modification of the electoral code required on January 4, 2024 by the Constitutional Court in order to “restore equality of power to sponsor”. The opposition indicates that it has recorded offers “in a memorandum”, not made public, which the deputies of the Democrats party will bring to the National Assembly.
But for the presidential majority, the injunctions of the high court imply the rearrangement of the electoral calendar. Hence the need to revise once again the Constitution. “By postponing these elections (legislative and municipal, editor’s note) after the presidential election, we resolve the problem of the Constitutional Court’s decision on sponsorship,” according to the Republican Bloc MP, Assan Seibou, author of the bill amending the Constitution.
Constitution version Seibou
On the television program “Focus” on national television on January 28, MP Assan Seibou assured that his proposed law revising the Constitution should remove any ambiguity. He claims to have mainly affected articles 42 and 153 paragraphs 2 and 3. If his proposal succeeds, this second and last five-year term of Patrice Talon ends in March 2026:
“The election of the president and vice-president of the Republic is organized on the first Sunday of February of the electoral year. A second round of voting is organized if necessary, on the fourth Sunday in February. Under no circumstances can the election of the duo President of the Republic and Vice-President of the Republic be organized simultaneously with those of deputies and municipal councilors. In all cases, the elected President of the Republic takes office and takes the oath of office on the second Sunday of March.”
While the Constitution amended in 2019 sets the end of the five-year term in May, the version proposed by Assan Seibou reduces the current mandate of President Patrice Talon by two months. Assan Seibou also proposes that the election of the duo president and vice-president of the Republic take place before the vote of municipal councilors and deputies. Deputy Seibou’s article provides:
“The combined legislative and municipal elections are organized on the third Sunday of May of the electoral year. The deputies elected to the National Assembly take office and are installed on the second Sunday of the month of June. The elected municipal councilors take office and are installed under the conditions provided for by law.”
The elected representative of the Republican Bloc also wants the replacement of “never” par “in all cases” at the level of article 42. The article specifies: “The President of the Republic is elected by direct universal suffrage, for a five-year term, renewable once. Neverno one can, in their life, exercise more than two mandates as President of the Republic”. Assan Seibou prefers the wording “in all cases” to avoid any tendentious interpretation.
