Les Démocrates case: the appeal trial postponed to October 15, 2026.

The appeal trial concerning the internal crisis of the opposition party Les Démocrates was ultimately not reviewed on Thursday, June 18, 2026. At the start of the hearing, the jurisdiction seized decided to postpone the case until October 15, 2026.

This legal procedure pits two factions within the party against each other: on one side, the leadership led by Nourénou Atchadé, stemming from the extraordinary national council held in April 2026, and on the other side, the camp of former vice-president Éric Houndété, who contests the decisions made by this body.

At the heart of the dispute are the resolutions from the extraordinary national council that endorsed the party’s new leadership and imposed disciplinary measures against several officials accused of positions contrary to the official line.

Initially seized, the court had deemed that the decisions made by the governing bodies were in accordance with the party’s texts, thereby validating the legitimacy of the new team led by Nourénou Atchadé. A decision that the dissenters immediately rejected.

The camp of Éric Houndété then appealed, seeking the annulment of the judgment and a complete re-examination of the case by the higher jurisdiction. It was this procedure that was on the agenda for the hearing on June 18.

However, at the opening of the debates, the court decided to postpone the case until October 15, 2026, without reviewing the substance of the case. No detailed reason for the postponement has been made public at this stage. This delay therefore prolongs the legal battle surrounding the governance of the party Les Démocrates.