The debate over a possible amnesty law for opposition figures, including Joël Aïvo and Reckya Madougou, has resurfaced in Benin.
Invited this Sunday, June 15, 2025, on Eden TV, MP Orden Alladatin, president of the Law Commission in the National Assembly and member of the presidential majority, responded to calls by the Les Démocrates party to relaunch a special amnesty bill.
According to the representative of the Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UPR), this initiative seems more like a communication strategy than a coordinated parliamentary approach. He criticized the initiators of the text for not holding any prior talks with the majority parliamentary groups.
“The opposition does not hold a majority in the National Assembly. They ask the president of the Assembly, in front of cameras, to put a bill on the agenda, while there hasn’t been any consultation either with our groups or with anyone else,” he stated.
The MP recalled that the Law Commission had already reviewed and rejected this proposal in January 2024, citing technical shortcomings. “The introduced text was poorly structured and poorly drafted. A law has a general scope; it must meet certain formal and substantive requirements,” he explained.
Orden Alladatin also recalled the position of the head of state, who had spoken against granting a presidential pardon. According to him, opposition parties are attempting to give the impression that the majority rejects the idea of an amnesty law, aiming to create a media buzz and pressure public opinion.
Nonetheless, the opposition’s revival of this issue brings back onto the agenda the question of calming the political climate, in a context marked by preparations for the upcoming general elections scheduled for 2026.
Let’s hope that the parliamentary opposition takes steps toward discussions with other parliamentary groups and produces a new version of the law, aiming to ease political tensions.