Benin’s 2026 legislative elections: the 20% rule and the coalition exception
After the January 11, 2026 legislative elections, the composition of the National Assembly will depend not only on the results in the 24 constituencies but also on specific rules governing the formation of parliamentary coalitions. These rules hinge on two crucial thresholds: 20% and 10%, which determine the possibilities for seat-sharing.
As the distribution of seats in the National Assembly approaches, the new provisions of Benin’s electoral law have introduced a decisive mechanism that conditions access even to seat-sharing in Parliament.
Contrary to a superficial reading of the results, it isn’t only the votes accumulated nationally that open the doors to the chamber.
The rule is strict. For a political party to be admitted to the distribution of seats, it must reach at least 20% of the votes cast in each of the 24 electoral constituencies.
The requirement is territorial and cumulative. In other words, a single underperformance below this threshold, in just one constituency, is enough to render the party ineligible for seat-sharing, even if its national scores are high.
This mechanism creates a fearsome selective filter. It isn’t about punishing a global weakness, but about enforcing a homogeneous electoral presence across the entire territory. The law thus excludes any formation that fails to reach the required threshold in all electoral constituencies.
However, the mechanism provides a legal exit through electoral coalitions formed before the election. When a party officially partners with another in a declared coalition, the 20% rule can be satisfied in combination.
Concretely, in a given constituency, if a coalition member party does not reach the 20% threshold on its own, but its partner does, the coalition is deemed to meet the condition.
This possibility is, however, not automatic. The law sets a minimum limit: for the partner’s contribution to be legally taken into account, it must itself achieve at least 10% of the votes in the constituency in question. Below this threshold, the alliance has no corrective effect. The failing party is then excluded from the seat-distribution mechanism.
This system creates a clear hierarchy among dominant parties, strategic partners, and marginal formations. It favors structured alliances while preventing purely opportunistic coalitions with electorally insignificant parties.
In practice, the law redefines the legislative competition ahead of the vote. It makes the coalition not just a simple political arrangement, but a legal tool for electoral survival.
Conversely, any formation that runs alone in the election without achieving 20% across all constituencies faces a radical consequence: the outright exclusion from Parliament, regardless of the total number of votes obtained nationally.
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