Benin - Democratic Renewal
The democratic experiment in Benin has been a remarkable success since it began in 1990. Benin led Africa’s “Third Wave” of democratic transitions after the collapse of the Marxist-Leninist regime of Mathieu Kérékou.
The time of the Democratic Renewal is still in progress. From 19 to 28 February 1990, the National Conference brought together more than half a thousand delegates from different parts of the country to the Hotel PLM Alédjo under the presidency of Msgr. Isidore de Souza.
The National Conference was a pivotal moment in Benin's contemporary political history, where the "living forces of the nation" convened to transform the country from a dictatorship to a democratic government. On live television, the Conference participants began drafting a new constitution and a transitional arrangement for transferring power from Kerekou to an elected civilian administration. The conference attracted widespread political support from the Beninese public and key members of the international community.
There were two main decisions. The first instituted economic and political liberalism, democracy and the rule of law. The second appointed a Prime Minister to assist General Mathieu Kérékou, who remained in the presidency but was deprived of most of his prerogatives. A wind of democratic renewal enveloped Benin. The Prime Minister appointed by the National Conference, Nicéphore Soglo, Administrator of the World Bank, is responsible for leading the government of the transitional period. This government's mission is to implement the main measures leading to the adoption of a new Constitution and the organization of general elections. Unlike the other transitional experiences of the countries of the subregion, the two main actors of this period.
On 11 December 1990 a new constitution, that of the Vth Republic was promulgated, after its adoption by referendum. It reflects the decisions of the National Conference. It is based on democracy and the rule of law. It opted for a presidential republican regime, with separation of the three powers: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.
Three months later, the legislative and presidential elections sanctioned the end of the transition period. The “founding” elections in 1991 witnessed the first contest between General Kérékou as the incumbent and a host of challengers, including the transition Prime Minister Nicéphore Soglo. Soglo emerged victorious, and led the country through the immediate post-transition years with some success. The new National Assembly, unicameral, elected for four years. It was presided over by Adrien Houngbedji, a lawyer and former political exile.
Kérékou’s surprise showing as runner-up (with 27% of the vote compared to Soglo’s 36% in the first round) was generally explained away as a result of his new “democratic” persona and his exemplary behavior as one of the few African dictators to voluntarily give up power for the sake of democracy.
In the second round of the presidential election, Nicéphore Soglo triumphed over Mathieu Kérékou. In 1996, Nicéphore Soglo had to cede his presidential chair to Mathieu Kérékou in the presidential elections. Five years later, the Beninese again confided to him.
Kérékou returned to power via the ballot box in 1996, and was re-elected in 2001 albeit with his main opponents complaining the process was stacked in his favor. Concerns about the prospects for democratic consolidation in Benin were heightened as the 2006 presidential election approached and people waited to see whether Kérékou would respect the two term-limit provision of the constitution. Though waiting until the last minute and darkly hinting that he could derail the process if he chose, Kérékou did step aside and a political newcomer, Yayi Boni, was elected president.
In 2006, in the absence of Mathieu Kérékou and Nicéphore Soglo, the political game becomes more open. The first round of the elections was held on March 5, 2006. Twenty six candidates ran for the supreme magistracy: regulars and newcomers. Among them, Adrien Houngbedji and Bruno Amoussou, both former ministers of Kérékou and former presidents of the National Assembly. Against all odds, Boni Yayi, portrayed by his opponents as the emanation of "a spontaneous generation in politics," delighted the star. He took the final decision, with more than 75% of the votes cast. The following year, his supporters gathered in the Cauris Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) won the legislative elections. In the aftermath, the president of the National Assembly elected Mathurin Nago came from this movement.
Two main players emerged in Benin's political class: the president of the Republic Boni Yayi and his challenger of the second round, Adrien Houngbédji, who acted as "principal opponent" to the power. In 2011, Boni Yayi won the presidential election in the first round. In March 2016, the Beninese people chose President Patrice TALON after the second round of the presidential election. On 06 April 2016, President Patrice TALON took the oath and took the reins of power.
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