The opposition party Les Démocrates held a press conference this Friday at their headquarters in Cotonou.
During the briefing, the party denounced what they described as ongoing maneuvers aimed at preventing them from competing in the 2026 presidential elections.
“We have learned that sordid maneuvers are being orchestrated against some opposition MPs, with the vile aim of forcing them to resign from their party, to give up their seats in the National Assembly, or even to completely repudiate their own signature on their sponsorship form,” the speakers lamented.
According to the party, billions of CFA francs have allegedly been mobilized to bribe Les Démocrates deputies in order to achieve this objective.
They further claimed that a governance pact is being prepared between the Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Émergent (FCBE) — which they called a Trojan horse of the executive — and the Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UP-R).
The aim, Les Démocrates argue, is to push FCBE to present a puppet candidate, thereby repeating the experiences of 2019 and 2021 in which a president and parliamentarians were “appointed.”
The leaders of Les Démocrates denounced these maneuvers and reaffirmed their intention to take part in the 2026 elections.