“Democracy is not a pretext for chaos… “, Patrice Talon
Before the deputies, on the occasion of his tenth and final State of the Nation address, the President of the Republic, Patrice Talon, laid out a political record largely dominated by the defense of the reforms undertaken during his two terms.
A candid exercise in which the president stressed that democracy cannot be equated with disorder or serve as a pretext for chaos and instability.
Facing the National Assembly, Patrice Talon revisited reforms often criticized by the opposition, which he described as necessary in light of the shortcomings inherited from the democratic process begun in 1990. According to him, the National Conference of the Nation’s Active Forces, despite its foundational character, had not foreseen all provisions enabling durable virtuous governance and a responsible political class.
The president acknowledged that at the time, there was hope that the gains of this conference would be enough to establish good governance and prevent political drift. But, he stressed, this belief proved illusory. The realities of exercising power highlighted structural flaws that he deemed essential to correct.
It is in this logic, he explained, that the various political and institutional reforms of 2018, 2019, and then those of 2024 and 2025 were carried out. Reforms aimed, according to him, at steering Benin’s democracy toward its primary purpose, that of serving the general interest and not the advantages of a minority of political actors.
For Patrice Talon, these transformations have ended a conception of democracy reduced to the mere ability to mobilize popular support, without any requirement of competence or responsibility. Governing a state, he insisted, can no longer rely on improvisation or on the simple balance of power.
In his view, the reforms undertaken have introduced a new requirement in the management of public affairs. Leading Benin now requires having the capacity, legitimacy, and merit. An evolution that he presents as essential to preserve institutional stability, strengthen the authority of the State, and place the country on a trajectory of sustainable development.
With this final State of the Nation address, Patrice Talon thus sought to close his presidency on a line of consistency, embracing decisions he regards as decisive to make Benin’s democracy a tool of order, efficiency, and collective progress.
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