Reportage. Debates about the constitution, economic and social frustrations, and condemnation of the judiciary under the orders of the executive authorities have marginalized the country.
«S“We are here today because freedom is under attack, and we must mobilize so that the country can regain the letter from the nobles”, shouting a person’s voice appeared in front of us. In the Cadjehoun area, where the former President Thomas Boni Yayi’s residence is located, dozens of demonstrators marched towards the Rode de l’Étoilerouge (Rode de l’Étoilerouge). Message: “,” From the moment he attacked freedom, his mission was over, “,” There will be no elections, and the claws will withdraw! “. Parakou, Tchaourou, Cotonou, Savé: Since Monday night, several cities in Benin have become demonstration sites, with frequent incidents and presidential elections. He was robbed a few days ago. Reason: Since midnight on Tuesday, April 6, the term of outgoing President Patrice Talon (Patrice Talon) has ended. In the second round of the President on March 21, 2016 In the election, 65.39% of the votes were elected to oppose his opponent Messi Sinsu, the current head of the country, 62 years old and 34.61%, who was sworn in on April 6 of the same year. His opponent now demands his departure and condemns the opposition The tone of voice and the early voting. Nevertheless, is Benin on the constitutional volcano? When this issue spreads across the country and overseas, people should raise this question.
Benin-Francis Kpatindé: “With Patrice Talon, staying vigilant is vital!”
It all started with demonstrations initiated by some opponents, such as the former Minister of Finance Komi Koutché (Komi Koutché). He called for “to commemorate the end of the mission handed over to Patrice Tallon by the Republican Party.” “People of Benin, the constitution you signed with Patrice Talon on April 6, 2016 will end on April 5, 2021.” Thomas Boni Yayi)’s widely shared video on the Internet is close. “Although you naively believed him and helped realize the Republican agenda, he decided… to establish his own private agenda. Therefore, it is time that, as the sole holder of national sovereignty, you can cancel it and still prepare Impose this private agenda on you,” Komi Koutché invited Beninese to peacefully demonstrate in the streets. “The debate on the end of the mandate has gone beyond the legal and constitutional framework and has become a major political issue. If political actors reached an agreement on the 2019 constitutional reform or reached a consensus on constitutional reform, we could have avoided getting there”, OSIWA Mathias Hounkpè, the head of the organization’s political governance plan, analyzed in a phone call from Dakar.
Frédéric Joël Aïvo: “The textual revision of the Constitution smells of sulfur!”
Indeed, in the legislative elections on April 28, 2019, the opposition was unable to propose candidates and many people were killed. The head of state convened various political parties for dialogue in order to find a lasting solution to the successive crises. This meeting was held without inviting the main opposition party. This time the main opposition party was not invited to participate. Since then, only representatives of nine major parties close to the presidential movement have participated in the reform. Tell us on the spot: “There is always dissatisfaction.” This task ended even before the presidential election. It is a boon for opponents of the head of state and for thousands of Beninese representatives who are already dissatisfied with economic, social or political plans. Tensions on all sides” explained a man I met in the vibrant Santa Rita district. Government spokesman Alan Orenra replied: “These omen who demanded the rebellion have been properly kept. He accused opponents of calling on people to “sacrifice their lives.” Since Tuesday night, the country’s economic capital Cotonou reportedly has no immediate answers.
In any case, the chaos of recent days was quickly replaced by many questions: Is there a power vacuum in Cotonou? Most importantly, what do these words say? As for the supporters of Patrice Talon, it is believed that amending the constitution has changed the date of the traditional election calendar, especially the presidential election, which is a necessary condition before the general election in 2026, thus realizing a unified election. task.In terms of legality and law, the Constitution was amended, then approved by the Constitutional Court, and finally promulgated by President Talon Provided in its Article 2 in November 2019 “This constitutional law that amended the constitution did not make a new constitution.” The deputies to the National People’s Congress of Benin hope to keep this in mind, so as to avoid any risk that the president will come to power on the grounds of “resetting the counter” in the future. Obviously, Benin is not in the new republic.Regarding the exact subject of the presidential election, Article 157-3 as amended reads: “The new regulations concerning elections and the term of office of the President of the Republic take effect on the day of the presidential election. The task of the inauguration of the President of the Republic from the date of election, at 00 ^ h 00 “
“When a country decides to amend its constitution, there will be no problems. Serge Gbodogli, the head of the presidential movement Moele-Benin caravan, met in front of the Abodmey Calavi city hall at the exit of Cotonou. This is not a profound change. 2019 The amendments to the Constitution did not touch the two bottlenecks of term limit and age limit. We cannot explain what caused our compatriots to burn tires and block the road. It doesn’t make any sense, he explained on the phone later. “We told the exiles, we All are citizens of this country, and we have the responsibility to protect it and all the lives of Beninese, whether inside or outside the country. “
Nevertheless, due to the conflict of different interpretations, the debate is far from over. The West African connoisseur explained: “In almost all parts of the African continent, the authorities do not grasp these extremely sensitive legality and legal themes.” Today, the real problem with Benin and other countries is that we no longer even know which text is legal. We no longer know the organizational hierarchy of the Constitution. Mathias Hounkpè added: “Patrice Talon does not need to extend his 45-day term. But his obsession is to participate. He does not want to continue with past legislative or municipal election results. »Participation score is very low. Elections.
Benin-Florent Couao-Zotti (Florent Couao-Zotti): “Advocates the vitality of democracy”
In fact, in addition to this fierce constitutional debate, Benin’s political environment is also explosive. With the approach of this Sunday’s election, the differences between the various factions have intensified. The Beninese we met had a disagreement about his president, Patrice Talon. He was a businessman. Before he became a systematic financier, he lived alone to enrich his cotton and later became Benin’s very partisan policy. This quarreled with the former President of the Republic Thomas Boni Yayi (Thomas Boni Yayi), whose campaign was funded by the Talons in 2006 and 2011, which made his rise not the same as Sebastian. Sébastien. Ajavon and other big bosses in the private sector resonated. Talon (for Boni Yayi), accused of poisoning, then fled to Paris under unbelievable conditions, where his former partner fought justice for the first time in Paris. There, he not only made a plan to get out of trouble with full-time lawyers like Joseph Djobenou, the current president of the Constitutional Court, but he also decided to do so. Basically, it is for revenge. “The Beninese know Patrice Talon. They chose him because they didn’t want a candidate from outside. To sum up: Of the two drawbacks, they chose the smaller one, but if today Let’s look at it and it boils down to the same thing, “Suggest a retired general. Another reason is that “Patrice Talon has a split character. He wants to run Benin while running his own business. He wants to be the only captain on board. The head of state “shut up” to himself. For five years, no leaders from this subregion have actually been received. When Benin still needs to run its economy to expand it to other countries, he must get rid of this limitation and eventually isolate him.”