Benin’s parliament approved a constitutional overhaul on Friday extending the presidential mandate from five to seven years and creating a bicameral legislature, a move supporters say will bolster stability but critics fear could entrench power in the West African nation.
The National Assembly in Porto-Novo passed the bill with 90 votes in favour and 19 against, amending the 1990 constitution last revised in 2019, after a preliminary tally of 87 for and 22 against met the required three-quarters majority.
The revised Article 42 now states: “The President of the Republic is elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of seven years, renewable only once. No one may, in his or her lifetime, serve more than two terms as President of the Republic.”
Under the updated Article 79, parliament “exercises legislative power and oversees government action. It is now composed of two chambers: the National Assembly and the Senate.”
Deputies’ terms are extended to seven years under Article 80, which adds: “Any deputy who resigns and thereby ceases to be a member of the party that sponsored them for the legislative election loses their mandate.”
The new Senate, per Article 113.1, will regulate political life and safeguard “national unity, development, territorial defence, public security, democracy, and peace.”
Mayors and municipal councillors also see their terms lengthened to seven years, renewable.
The changes, creating 15 new articles and amending 18, arrive amid debates on democratic reforms in Benin, where President Patrice Talon has pledged not to seek a third term in 2026 despite the extension.
