BENIN'S 2026 GENERAL ELECTIONS

As the 2026 presidential deadline approaches, the Beninese political landscape is less clarified by the diversity of options than by the manifest imbalance of forces at play. Two candidates will face off not as expressions of a classical democratic competition,…

The Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) has published the official schedule for the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026, thereby launching the active phase of the electoral process. According to this timetable, the first-round campaign will open on March…

With less than two months to the 2026 presidential elections, the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) has entered the active phase of its preparations. It has just launched a large-scale inventory operation of electoral equipment across the entire country.This mission,…

The campaign for the first round of the 2026 presidential election will take place from March 27 to April 10, 2026, according to the calendar set by the electoral authorities. Voters will be called to the polls on Sunday, April…

Just a few days after its official launch, the Bénin Uni et Solidaire (BUS) platform continues to broaden its political footprint. Prominent figures from the Les Démocrates (LD) party have announced their joining this dynamic, marking a significant rapprochement between…

The National Democratic Institute (NDI), an international organization specializing in strengthening democratic processes, has formulated a series of recommendations following its pre-election mission in Benin, in advance of the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026. The NDI delegation, led…

The Lalo town hall officially returns to the Union Progressiste le Renouveau following a court decision issued this Friday, February 20. This restoration of the town hall resolves a dispute that had pitted the two sides since the proclamation of…

The former MP Léon Basile Ahossi is counting on the teaching profession to drive his candidate to victory at the end of the April 2026 electoral contest. On the occasion of the official launch of the Romuald Wadagni Ambassador Teachers…

With less than three months remaining until the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) announced on Monday, February 16, 2026, the deployment of a pre-electoral assessment mission to Benin. This delegation will travel to…

In accordance with the installation calendar of the municipal councils, several communes already know the team that will accompany them for the next seven years. According to publicly released information, 72 of the 77 expected mayors have already been designated…

Parakou, the northern crossroads city, has elected municipal councilor Zul-Kifly Zakari as mayor of the commune. On the occasion of taking office, Zul-Kifly Zakari, the new mayor of the city of Koburu, delivered a speech that was at once sober…

The municipality of Toffo enters a new phase of its local governance with the election of a woman to head the municipal executive. Indeed, following the work of the municipal council, Agbanzé Marguerite was elected mayor, marking a strong signal…

The installation process of the elected municipal councils in the Ouémé Department is entering its decisive phase. The official timetable of the oath-taking ceremonies for the new councils has been made public. According to the published timeline, Friday, February 13,…

The momentum around the 2026 presidential election candidate, Romuald Wadagni, takes a new step. On Thursday, February 12, 2026 in Cotonou, the Benin United and Solidarity Platform (BUS) was officially launched, marking the concerted endorsement of many movements and associations…

The Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) held on Monday, February 9, 2026, a session dedicated to validating the specimen of the single-ballot for the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026. The meeting took place in the institution’s conference room,…

The 10th legislature is now officially installed. With the establishment of Parliament, a new phase of the institutional calendar opens at the local level. In the municipalities, attention now turns to the upcoming installation of the municipal councils and the…

The tenth legislature of Benin’s National Assembly is now fully operational. Following the session dedicated to setting up the Parliamentary Bureau, Honourable Joseph Fifamè Djogbénou was elected President of the National Assembly, thus marking a major new institutional milestone for…

The tenth legislature of Benin’s National Assembly was officially inaugurated on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at the Palace of the Governors in Porto-Novo. The ceremony was held in accordance with the provisions of Article 153.2, paragraphs 1 and 2 of…

Less than two months before the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026, the Benin Constitutional Court announced, this Friday, February 6, 2026, the opening of a broad recruitment campaign for electoral delegates tasked with ensuring observation of the ballot…

Approaching the installation of the new communal councils stemming from the January 11, 2026 election, the Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UPR) has set the guidelines that will shape the designation of mayors, deputy mayors, and presidents of commissions in the…

The Constitutional Court is set to examine, this Thursday, February 5, 2026, several appeals related to the recent legislative elections. In total, four cases are on the docket for the hearing. The first appeal concerns the election of MP Michel…

Just over two months before the Beninese presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026, the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) announced the opening of accreditation for foreign journalists wishing to cover the poll, according to a press release…

Amnesty International Benin has unveiled a manifesto of commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for the period 2026-2033. The document was presented to media professionals at a press conference held on Thursday, January 28, 2026 at the…

The Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) has officially launched the accreditation process for electoral observers ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026, in Benin. The announcement was made via a press release dated January 23, 2026.According to…

The post-communal electoral dispute begins at the Supreme Court. As of Thursday, January 29, 2026, six appeals have been officially filed with the competent court, according to information reported by BIP Radio. These petitions, filed within the legal deadlines, relate…

In an open letter addressed to Paul Hounkpè, National Executive Secretary of Force cauris for an Emerging Benin (FCBE), Daniel Edah calls for a political jolt in the face of the drift he attributes to the electoral system born of…

The Progressive Union for Renewal (UP-R) has established itself as the leading political party following the January 2026 communal and municipal elections. According to the provisional results released to the public, the party controls 39 communes nationwide, confirming its strong…

Following the January 2026 municipal elections, the Bloc républicain (BR) has taken control of 38 communes across the entire country. These victories, spread across several departments, confirm the party’s solid territorial presence, in both the north and the central and…

The January 2026 municipal elections have established an almost even split of mayoralties between the two main parties of the presidential movement. According to results released this Tuesday, the Progressive Union Le Renouveau (UPR) holds 39 mayoralties out of 77…

The counting of the municipal and communal elections held on January 11, 2026 began on Monday, January 26, after a delay in centralizing the results. Electoral authorities now plan to publish the results by the end of the week. According…