Constitutional revision in Benin: why this Wednesday’s plenary session was postponed
Originally scheduled to be examined in plenary on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the bill introduced by deputies Aké Natondé (Union Progressiste le Renouveau) and Assan Séïbou (Bloc Républicain) was ultimately postponed to this Thursday.
The decision was motivated by compliance with the regulatory deadline set by the National Assembly’s rules of procedure. Deputies indeed had to be given 48 hours to review the contents of the file before it was examined.
It was therefore, in order to comply with the rules of procedure, that the institution’s president, Louis Vlavonou, had to postpone the plenary session right after it opened.
This bill, which has already passed the admissibility stage in committee, primarily aims to create a Senate, a new upper chamber intended to complement the current unicameral Parliament.
According to its sponsors, this reform responds to a need for institutional stability and lasting political calm in a context where the country is preparing for new electoral challenges.
The text provides that the Senate will be composed notably of former presidents of the Republic, former presidents of institutions, military figures and other public personalities recognized for their experience. Its mission: to serve as a forum for reflection and arbitration, to avoid institutional deadlocks and to preserve national cohesion.
To be adopted, the constitutional revision will have to gather at least 82 votes out of 109 deputies to be deemed admissible, then 88 votes at the final vote. The Thursday meeting therefore promises to be decisive for a reform that, according to its proponents, could mark a major turning point in Benin’s institutional history.
Comments