Elections in Benin
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Elections in Benin take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a
presidential system A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...
. Both the
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
are directly elected by voters, with elections organised by the
Autonomous National Electoral Commission In developmental psychology and morality, moral, political, and bioethics, bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who g ...
(CENA).


Electoral history

In 1926 three elected seats were created on the Administrative Council. Elections with a severely limited franchise were held in
1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
,
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
,
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
,
1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
and
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
. Following
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the territory began to elect members to the
French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...
. The first of these elections took place on 21 October 1945, with Dahomey and neighbouring
Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
combined into a single constituency. Two MPs were elected using separate electoral colleges for French citizens and Africans. A
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
was held in February 1946 after one of the two elected MPs died in December 1945, with a second full election for the combined constituency held in
June 1946 The following events occurred in June 1946: June 1, 1946 (Saturday) *Penicillin first went on sale to the general public in the United Kingdom. The antibiotic had been made available at pharmacies in the United States beginning March 15, 1 ...
. By the November 1946 elections, Dahomey had become a single-member seat. A General Council was established in the same period and was first elected in January 1947.Patrick Manning (2004) ''Slavery, Colonialism and Economic Growth in Dahomey, 1640-1960'', Cambridge University Press, p276 The result was a victory for the
Dahomeyan Progressive Union The Dahomeyean Progressive Union (french: Union Progressiste Dahoméenne, UPD) was a political party in Dahomey. History The party was established in April 1946 by Augustin Kokou Azango and Émile Derlin Zinsou, and was the first political par ...
, which won 20 of the 30 elected seats. French National Assembly elections were held again in
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
, with Dahomey now having two seats; the Liste de l'Union Française and the Ethnic Group of the North (GEN) each won one seat. The General Council was converted into the Territorial Assembly in 1952, with the first elections to the new body resulting in a victory for the
Republican Party of Dahomey The Republican Party of Dahomey (french: Parti Républicain Dahoméen, PRD) was a political party in French Dahomey led by Sourou-Migan Apithy. History The party was established by Apithy in 1951.Mathurin C Houngnikpo & Samuel Decalo (2012) ''Hi ...
(PRD), which won 19 of the 32 seats elected by the second college. The final French National Assembly election in Dahomey was held in
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
, with the PRD and GEN each winning a seat. The Republican Party went on to win the 1957 Territorial Assembly elections. It also won the 1959 elections, despite receiving fewer votes than the
Dahomeyan Democratic Union The Dahomeyan Democratic Union (french: Union Démocratique Dahoméenne, UDD) was a political party in French Dahomey. History The UDD was established in 1955 by a merger of the Dahomeyan Progressive Union (UPD) and the African People's Bloc ( ...
(UDD), which emerged as the smallest of the three parties in the legislature. Following claims of fraud, the PRD gave nine seats to the UDD, although it remained the largest party. Following independence on 1 August 1960,
parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
were held in December. The newly established
Dahomeyan Unity Party The Dahomeyan Unity Party (french: Parti Dahoméen de l'Unité, PDU) was a political party in the Republic of Dahomey. History The party was established on 13 November 1960 by the merger of the Republican Party of Dahomey (PRD) led by Sourou-M ...
won all 60 seats following changes to the electoral system by President
Hubert Maga Coutoucou Hubert Maga (August 10, 1916 – May 8, 2000) was a politician from Dahomey (now known as Benin).Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. Se''New York Times'' obituary He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what regi ...
.Mathurin C Houngnikpo & Samuel Decalo (2012) ''Historical Dictionary of Benin'', Scarecrow Press, p38 The country subsequently became a
one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
, and the
Dahomeyan Democratic Party The Dahomeyan Democratic Party (french: Parti Démocratique Dahoméen, PDD) was the sole legal political party in Dahomey from 1963 until 1965. History The PDD was established on 15 December 1963 by Sourou-Migan Apithy and Justin Ahomadégbé- ...
was the only party to contest the elections in 1964, winning all 42 seats. Following a military coup, attempts were made to reintroduce democracy;
presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pr ...
were held in May 1968, but the results were invalidated due to insufficient voter turnout. The military government subsequently appointed
Émile Derlin Zinsou Émile Derlin Zinsou (23 March 1918 – 28 July 2016) was a Beninese politician and physician who was the President of Dahomey (now Benin) from 17 July 1968 until 10 December 1969, supported by the military regime that took power in 1967. Zinso ...
as president, but he took the post on the condition that he was approved by voters. A subsequent
vote Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...
on his candidacy was approved by just over three-quarters of voters. Another military coup led to
presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pr ...
in 1970. Although they were won by
Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin (January 16, 1917 – March 8, 2002) was a Beninese politician most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was regionalism (politics), dictated by what region ...
, this was due to the results in Atakora being annulled, denying
Hubert Maga Coutoucou Hubert Maga (August 10, 1916 – May 8, 2000) was a politician from Dahomey (now known as Benin).Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. Se''New York Times'' obituary He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what regi ...
victory. In order to prevent a civil war, Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, Maga and the other main candidate
Sourou-Migan Apithy Sourou-Migan Marcellin Joseph Apithy (April 8, 1913 – December 3, 1989) was a Beninese political figure most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey o ...
agreed to form a three-member presidential council. However, this lasted only until another coup in 1972. The country subsequently reverted to being a one-party state with the
People's Revolutionary Party of Benin The People's Revolutionary Party of Benin (french: Parti de la Révolution Populaire du Bénin) was a political party in the People's Republic of Benin. It was founded in 1975 by General Mathieu Kérékou. With the new constitution of 30 November ...
as the sole legal party. A National Revolutionary Assembly was established in 1977, and one-party elections were held in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
,
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
and 1989, before multi-party democracy was reintroduced at the start of the 1990s.
Parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
held in February 1991 saw 12 parties and alliances win seats in the National Assembly, with the
Union for the Triumph of Democratic Renewal The Union for the Triumph of Democratic Renewal (french: Union pour le Triomphe du Renouveau Démocratique, UTRD) was a political alliance in Benin. History The UTRD was established in 1991 to support presidential candidate Nicéphore Soglo, and ...
(UTRD) emerging as the largest group with just 12 of the 64 seats. UTRD candidate
Nicéphore Soglo Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo (born November 29, 1934) is a Beninese politician who was Prime Minister of Benin from 1990 to 1991 and President from 1991 to 1996. He was Mayor of Cotonou from 2003 to 2015. Soglo was married to Rosine Vieyra Soglo, ...
subsequently won the
presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pr ...
in March, beating incumbent
Mathieu Kérékou Mathieu Kérékou (; 2 September 1933 – 14 October 2015) was a Beninese politician who served as President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 19 years, for ...
in a runoff.
Parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
in 1995 saw 18 groups win seats in the enlarged 83-seat National Assembly; the
Benin Rebirth Party The Benin Rebirth Party (french: Parti de la renaissance du Bénin) is a liberal political party in Benin. The party was founded on 24 March 1992 by then- First Lady Rosine Vieyra Soglo, who became the first Beninese woman to establish a new polit ...
became the largest party with 21 seats. The following year Soglo lost the
presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pr ...
to Kérékou, who ran as an independent. Although Soglo received the most votes in the first round, Kérékou won 52% of the vote in the second. The 1999 parliamentary elections resulted in 16 groups winning seats; the Benin Rebirth Party remained the largest party with 27 seats. In 2001 Kérékou was re-elected president, running as the
Action Front for Renewal and Development The Action Front for Renewal and Development (french: Front d'action pour le renouveau et le développement, FARD-Alafia) is a political party in Benin. FARD-Alafia was founded in 1994 and supported the candidacy of Mathieu Kérékou in the 19 ...
(FARD) candidate. However, the election was marred by the withdrawal of Soglo from the run-off after he alleged fraud. With third-place
Adrien Houngbédji Adrien Houngbédji (born 5 March 1942) is a Beninese politician and the leader of the Democratic Renewal Party (''Parti du renouveau démocratique'', PRD), one of Benin's main political parties. He was President of the National Assembly of Benin ...
also refusing to participate, Kérékou faced Bruno Amoussou in the second round, winning with 84% of the vote. The 2003 parliamentary elections saw the majority of parties contest under the
Presidential Movement This article lists political parties in Benin. Benin has a multi-party system. The parties Parliamentary parties Other parties *Presidential Movement (''Mouvance Presidentielle'') ** Union for Future Benin or Union of Tomorrow's Benin (''Uni ...
or Opposition banner, with the pro-Kérékou Presidential Movement (dominated by the FARD-based
Union for Future Benin The Union for Future Benin () was an electoral alliance in Benin. In the legislative elections held on 30 March 2003, the party was member of the Presidential Movement, the alliance of supporters of Mathieu Kérékou, who had won the 2001 presiden ...
) winning a majority of seats. The 2006 presidential election saw both Kérékou and Soglo barred from running by term limits and age.
Yayi Boni Yayi may refer to * China-Taiwan Yayi Cup, a Go competition *Thomas Boni Yayi Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese banker and politician who was President of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 presi ...
defeated Houngbédji in the run-off, receiving 75% of the vote.
Parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
the following year saw the pro-Boni
Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin The Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (french: Forces Cauris pour un Bénin émergent, FCBE) is a political party of Benin, formed by supporters of president Yayi Boni. In the parliamentary election held on 31 March 2007, the party won 35 out ...
(FCBE) emerge as the largest faction, with 35 of the 83 seats. Boni was re-elected in March 2011 with 53% of the vote, the first time a presidential candidate had won in the first round of voting since the run-off was introduced. In the
parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
the following month the FCBE won 41 seats, narrowly missing out on obtaining a parliamentary majority. Parliamentary elections in
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
saw the FCBE–
Amana Alliance The Amana Alliance (french: Alliance Amana, AA) is a political alliance in Benin led by Nassirou Bako Arifari and Zimé Kora Gounou.Tom Lansford (2013) ''Political Handbook of the World 2013'', CQ Press, p145 The alliance supports President Yayi ...
coalition emerge as the largest faction in the National Assembly with 33 seats. The 2016 presidential elections saw the FCBE candidate
Lionel Zinsou Lionel Zinsou (born 23 October 1953) is a French–Beninese economist and investment banker who was Prime Minister of Benin from 2015 to 2016. Since June 2017, he has been the president of Terra Nova, a centre-left French think tank. Early ...
receive the most votes in the first round, but then defeated in the second round by independent candidate
Patrice Talon Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon (born 1 May 1958) is a Beninese politician and businessman who has been President of Benin since 6 April 2016. Early life and career Talon is of Fon origin and was born in Ouidah. He descends from slave trader ...
.


Electoral system


President

The President of Benin is elected using the
two-round system The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...
.


National Assembly

During the one-party state era, elections to the National Revolutionary Assembly were conducted in the form of a referendum. Voters were presented with a single list of the ruling People's Revolutionary Party of Benin's candidates to vote for or against.Elections held in 1989
IPU
Term length was originally three years,Benin
IPU
but was extended to five years in the early 1980s.Benin
IPU
The number of seats varied; starting with 336 in 1979, reduced to 196 in 1984 and increased to 206 in 1989. Currently the 83 seats in the National Assembly are elected by
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
in 24 multi-member constituencies.Electoral system
IPU
There are two constituencies for each of the country's 12 departments. Voters must be at Beninese citizens aged 18 or over. However, people can be disqualified from voting if they are in contempt of court, have an undischarged bankruptcy or are imprisoned for at least three months for certain offences. Candidates must be at least 25 years old and have been resident in Benin for at least a year before the election. If not holding Beninese citizenship by birth, they must have lived in the country for at least 10 years. Government ministers, people working for businesses subsidised by state funds, people holding non-elected public office, involved in the military or working for foreign government or international organisations are not allowed to contest to stand as candidates.


Referendums

During the colonial era, voters participated in French constitutional referendums in
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...
, May 1946 and October 1946. The 1958 referendum on the new constitution of the
French Fifth Republic The Fifth Republic (french: Cinquième République) is France's current republic, republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of France, Constitution of the Fifth Republic.. ...
was effectively an independence referendum, as if the terms of the constitution were rejected, the country would become an independent state. However, it was approved by 98% of voters, and
Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
was the only territory to reject the referendum. Following independence in 1960, a
constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
was held in 1964, with the proposed changes to the constitution creating a presidential system of government, scrapping term limits for the president, and having a unicameral parliament.Dahomey (Benin), 5 January 1964: Constitution
Direct Democracy
It was approved by 99.8% of voters. Another
constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
was held in 1968, with 92% voting in favour. The most recent
constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
was held in 1990. The main changes were a proposed return to multi-party democracy, with a secondary question for those voting in favour of the change, as to whether the president should be subject to term limits; 93% voted in favour of the proposed changes, with 73% of all voters in favour of term limits.


References


External links


CENABenin
Adam Carr's Election Archive

African Elections Database {{Benin topics