Bénin’s updated constitution, urgently adopted on November 1st, establishes a “presidential ticket” mechanism. This new system stipulates the simultaneous election of the President of the Republic and a Vice-President, with victory requiring an absolute majority of votes across two rounds of balloting.
Furthermore, this new legal framework abolishes capital punishment, establishes the Court of Accounts, and enshrines the principle of affirmative action to benefit women in electoral processes.
Legislative mandates for deputies are now capped at three terms. Interestingly, members of parliament who temporarily ceded their positions to substitutes can now reclaim their original seats.
The existing constitutional provision from December 11, 1990, which limited presidential terms to two consecutive mandates, has been strengthened. The updated text now specifies that no individual may serve more than two presidential terms during their entire lifetime.
