Presidential election 2026: the Constitutional Court rejects the request to suspend the electoral process
The Constitutional Court of Benin issued, on Thursday, October 23, its decision regarding the urgent appeal filed by Nourou-Dine Saka Saley, a member of the party Les Démocrates.
He had requested the suspension of the presidential electoral process, citing a violation of the principle of fairness and arguing that his party could not validly gather the required endorsements.
The Court dismissed his request, finding that it does not have the authority to order such a suspension.
In his petition, Mr. Saka Saley argued that the defection of MP Michel François Sodjinou, who was supposed to be one of the party’s endorsers, made it materially impossible to complete the list of 28 valid signatures, a prerequisite for eligibility. He also asked the Court to compel Mr. Sodjinou to appear before it to clarify his position on the endorsement.
In its analysis, the Constitutional Court relied on the applicable texts — namely the Constitution, the Court’s organic law, and the Electoral Code — to state that suspending the electoral process is not among its powers.
It recalled that its role is to guarantee the regularity of elections and to proclaim the results, but that it does not have, as requested, the power to interrupt the electoral timetable or to force an elected official to appear.
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