Benin: change to the schedule for submitting candidacies for the 2026 legislative elections
The Constitutional Court has given the green light to the Commission Électorale Nationale Autonome (CENA) to modify the timetable for the 2026 legislative elections. Following a special plenary hearing held on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the high court approved the postponement of the candidate filing period, now scheduled for November 15 to 19.
Benin’s electoral machinery is undergoing a slight adjustment. Petitioned by the president of the Commission Électorale Nationale Autonome (CENA), Mr. Sacca Lafia, the Constitutional Court authorized, during a special plenary hearing held on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, a partial change to the electoral calendar for the January 2026 legislative elections.
This request, filed the day before by the CENA, sought the constitutional court’s approval for a targeted postponement of the candidate filing period. After reviewing the file and deliberating, the Court granted the request, considering that it meets technical and organizational requirements necessary for the smooth running of the process.
Thus, the new period for submitting candidacy files for the election of deputies to the National Assembly will run from November 15 to 19, 2025, instead of the period originally set for November 8 to 12, 2025.
According to reported information, this change does not call into question the rest of the electoral timetable, notably the election date set for January 11, 2026. The adjustment is intended to ensure better internal organization and to allow political parties to complete certain administrative files before submitting them. The full decision of the Constitutional Court will be published in the coming hours.
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