Benin: The 109 deputies of the 9th legislature invested in their functions

In Benin, the 109 deputies of the 9th legislature were officially installed in their functions on Sunday 12 February 2023 at the Governors’ Palace in Porto-Novo. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the oldest member, Cossi Barthélémy Vidjinnagni, assisted by the two youngest members, Adjayi Titilayo and Mounifa Tidjani.

The deputies elected at the end of the 8 January legislative elections officially took office on Sunday. Minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Dassa tragedy, reading of various provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, reading of the decisions of the Constitutional Court, declaration of constitution of the parliamentary group The Democrats, election of the members of the Board of the National Assembly. These were the highlights of the installation ceremony of the 109 deputies of this 9th legislature on Sunday.

Thus, the oldest member, Cossi Barthélémy Vidjinnagni, who led the ceremony, in his speech, invited the representatives of the people to have a clear vision of the problems of the populations collected during the election campaign. The expectations of the Beninese must be the “compass” of the deputies, he said. He also called on his peers to turn the page on the 8 January elections and to get down to work for the well-being of the populations of which they are ambassadors.

It should be noted that five ministers of Patrice Talon’s government who were elected deputies during the elections have resigned from parliament. They are Ministers Abdoulaye Bio Tchané of planning and coordination, Salimane Karimou of nursery and primary education, Seidou Adambi of water and mines, Hervé Hêhomey of infrastructure and transport and Jean Michel Abimbola of tourism, culture and arts. On the other hand, Joseph Djogbénou, national president of the Union Progressiste le Renouveau party also notified the president of the National Assembly of his resignation.

A new era is thus opening up for Beninese democracy. Indeed, this 9th legislature closes a dark page in the history of democracy in Benin with the entry of the opposition party The Democrats into parliament. Secondly, this legislative mandate will be the shortest possible since the advent of the Conference of the Vital Forces of the Nation in 1990. It runs for three years (03 years) before general elections are held in 2026.