Benin: the UPR responds to “the appointment of its members” in the Wadagni government

The Progressive Union for Renewal (UPR), the leading party in the ruling coalition in Benin, published a communiqué on Tuesday, May 26, signed by its president Joseph Djogbénou, praising the formation of the first government under President Romuald Wadagni, appointed on May 24 according to decree n°2026-314. The party congratulates the head of state for establishing a team of 24 members and expresses its pleasure at “the appointment of its members” in the new executive, without specifying the number or the names of the individuals involved.

The communiqué describes the government as a team combining “experience and renewal” — a formulation that factually describes the cabinet composition, where seven ministers from the Talon II government have been retained, including the Keeper of the Seals Yvon Détchénou, the Minister of Health Benjamin Hounkpatin, and the Minister of Family Véronique Tognifodé Mewanou. The UPR reaffirms its commitment to remain a “key political and strategic ally” of the new government.

The UPR expressed particular delight at “the appointment of its members to this team.” Without specifying the exact number of representatives involved, the party believes that its representatives will support the President of the Republic in implementing his action program. The communiqué also highlights that the new executive combines “experience and renewal,” in a context marked by the retention of several ministers from Patrice Talon’s former regime and the arrival of new profiles. Furthermore, the party asserts its desire to remain a “key political and strategic ally” to support the ambitions of the new government.

Before the inauguration, the UPR and the Republican Bloc, the two major parties in the majority, each submitted to the presidency a list of around twenty personalities considered for inclusion in the government, according to Prime News World. The final government does not include any representatives from the opposition who supported Wadagni during the campaign, as the new head of state chose not to extend his executive beyond the presidential majority.

Djogbénou, President of the National Assembly and Leader of a Government Party

Joseph Djogbénou has held the presidency of the National Assembly and the UPR since February 8, 2026. An associate professor of private law at the University of Abomey-Calavi, a lawyer at the Benin Bar, and former president of the Constitutional Court (2018-2022), he succeeded Bruno Amoussou as head of the UPR in July 2022. He had at one time been considered as a potential candidate from the majority for the presidential elections in April 2026 before publicly endorsing Wadagni, stating: “He is the candidate for each of us.”

Djogbénou’s dual role, at the head of the legislative institution and of the leading party in the ruling coalition, concentrates unprecedented institutional influence in the recent history of Benin. The National Assembly, elected in January 2026, holds all 109 seats allocated to the presidential majority, with the opposition having been excluded from the vote. In the legislative and municipal elections on January 11, 2026, the first coupled elections in the history of Benin, the presidential majority won all 109 seats in the National Assembly, with the Democrats failing to cross the required threshold of 20% of the votes in each of the 24 constituencies. Voter turnout was recorded at 36.73%.