Cotonou, Benin, April 5, 2026 – The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), which focuses on fostering a culture of electoral accountability in Benin, has called for a structured stakeholder dialogue, an end to “political exclusion” and an inclusive civic space for fair and transparent political competition in the country.
At a meeting with members of the ECOWAS Long-Term Election Observation Mission (LTEOM) in Cotonou, officials of the Coalition known as the CSO Electoral Platform, formed in 2015, said the Constitutional Reforms under outgoing President Patrice Talon have created two political parties with “identical political leaning that resulted to a de facto exclusion of sections of the political class.”
Coordinated by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Benin), the ECOWAS CSO lead partner in the region, the Coalition has more than 1,700 election observers and carries out large-scale observation and public awareness activities during pre-election, election, and post-election periods.
The Coalition officials on Friday, 3rd April, described ongoing campaigns by the two presidential candidates ahead of the 12th April vote as “lacklustre, because the two political coalitions are politically similar and citizens do not see any significant difference between them.”
They also called for the repeal of laws restricting the operation of CSOs and for their consultation in the decision-making process, including the enactment of laws, as well as an improvement in Women’s participation consistent with Article 144 of the country’s Electoral Law on Affirmative Action, for the reservation of seats in the National Assembly for women.
Currently, there are 28 female MPs in the country’s 109-seat Parliament and 87 female Councillors. While this represents a slight increase compared to the 2020 figures, the Electoral Platform said “there is room for an improvement” in political participation and representation of women, youths and Persons with Disability.
The officials explained that the Platform has held discussions with the National Electoral Commission (CENA) on how to avoid a repeat of the challenges identified during the January 2026 Legislative and Municipal elections, such as delays in the opening of polling stations and the non-availability of voting materials.
They further noted that voter turnout would be a key issue in the presidential election, due to several factors, including “the disintegration of the opposition in favour of the ruling coalition, and rhetoric with ethnic overtones.”
According to the Coalition officials, the challenges impacting the democratic space include the lack of a Freedom of Information Act and the Digital law which restricts the freedom of online media and has resulted in the imprisonment of several operators.
On security, they said that Benin “is under terrorist threat, but there is no justification for relocating polling stations in the affected areas”, especially in the north of the country.
The two candidates for the 12th April presidential contest are Kossi Romuald Wadagni, the Finance Minister, of the ruling Coalition, and the opposition flag-bearer Paul Hounkpè.
The ECOWAS LTEOM led by Mr Serigne Ka, acting Head of the ECOWAS Election Assistance Division (EAD), is continuing consultations with the Benin political stakeholders and will be joined by Short-Term Observers before the Election Day.
The combined Observation Mission, approved by the ECOWAS Commission President Dr Omar Alieu Touray, under the regional protocol for support to member States holding elections, is headed by Ghana’s former President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The Mission is supported by the Commission’s Technical Team led by Ambassador Abdel-Fatua Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
