In Benin, the opposition criticizes the establishment of the Senate presided over by Patrice Talon.

The Beninese Senate was officially installed in Porto-Novo, with Patrice Talon, former head of state, elected as its president. The opposition party, The Democrats, which opposed the constitutional reform that led to this new institution, reacted through Habibou Woroucoubou, a former deputy and secretary in charge of resource mobilization for the party, speaking to Jean-Luc Aplogan.

“It was installed despite us,” said the political leader, recalling that The Democrats voted against the creation of the Senate. However, the reform was adopted, as the opposition did not have a sufficient majority to prevent it.

Habibou Woroucoubou now believes that the institution must prove its usefulness. He particularly calls on the Senate to contribute to the restoration of political pluralism in an institutional landscape that his party views as largely dominated by a single current.

The Democrats Demand an Independent Institution

“If this institution can still be objective in resolving the political problems we have, I believe it will be of great value,” explained the former deputy. He hopes that the upper chamber will play a role in representing the different political sensitivities, rather than becoming a space for repositioning for former officials.

“We only have one political chapel in the National Assembly. All democratic institutions are monochrome,” he also stated, presenting this analysis as the main reservation of his party towards the Senate.

The composition of the new chamber and its precise modalities for intervention in the functioning of the Beninese institutions have not been detailed in the available information. For The Democrats, its legitimacy will therefore depend on its ability to perform its functions objectively and to guarantee the political diversity envisaged by the Constitution.