In Benin, Our Democracy is Being Undone. It’s Time to Take a Stand.
In less than three months, on April 11, Benin will hold a presidential election. Given the magnitude of several ongoing events that have dominated the global media landscape, this election period in a Francophone country, located on West Africa’s Atlantic coast, will be unlikely to garner much attention. This is a problematic scenario for many reasons, including the fact that current President, Patrice Talon, is banking on little outside scrutiny in the coming months. The Talon Government is indeed rolling back years of democratic progress in Benin, which was until recently a beacon of hope for the continent.
I speak from personal experience as a former Beninese diplomat, from 2003 to 2006, when I was proud to represent one of Africa’s strongest democracies on the international stage. During my time in government, Benin was recognized as one of only a handful of countries in all of Africa that was consistently rated ‘Free’ by the global watchdog group Freedom House -- this was the case, in fact, for every year that I was in Government. Today, that is no longer the case. On the contrary, democratic backsliding is now the new normal.
When he was elected in 2016, President Talon seemed committed to serving only one term, speaking in lofty prose to the international community -- and to Benin’s development partners -- that he would need only five years in office to “miraculously change Benin.” Fast forward to today and Talon has reneged on those promises and is doing all he possibly can to both entrench his political power and to unfairly tilt the political playing field in his favor. This disturbing pattern began in earnest during the April 2019 parliamentary elections during which opposition candidates were barred from even running. In response, citizens and opposition supporters flooded the streets. Police then responded by opening fire on protesters and authorities implemented several internet shutdowns in an attempt to quell dissent. As a result, our National Assembly today is composed entirely of ruling party supporters.
Talon’s political opponents have been consistently targeted during his time in power. This includes former President Thomas Boni Yayi, who has since fled the country after being held under de facto house arrest for several weeks following the 2019 elections. The runner-up in the 2016 presidential election, Lionel Zinsou, has also been barred from standing for office due to alleged “campaign violations.” The assault on the opposition is widespread and enduring.
More recently, Benin’s media commission, the HAAC, enacted draconian policies that amount to an attempt to fully silence the political opposition and stifle their legitimate campaign activities. As a result of a directive issued on January 13, all local media is now prohibited from broadcasting “any element of the electoral campaign relating to the presidential election of 2021.” Conveniently, this new rule – an effective blackout on opposition reporting – went into effect after Talon and his ruling twin parties had wrapped up their nationwide campaign swing. In light of this effective monopoly over state media, one can easily see how this situation will unfold in the lead up to voting on April 11.
For several years, the warning signs in Benin have been flashing, and those concerned with democracy in Africa – and worldwide – should have their eyes trained on this deeply troubling situation. This is because the deteriorating state of democracy in Benin fits a larger, more recent pattern in West Africa. Heads of state in Guinea and Ivory Coast, for example, have extended their stays in power despite mass protests and numerous deaths in the streets. In Togo, the Gnassingbe family dynasty, in power since the late 1960s, rigged yet another election in their favor early last year. These assaults on democracy and our state institutions, as well as individual human rights, were largely met with muted responses and sighs of resignation worldwide, including from western democracies like the United States. This is unacceptable.
It is time to take a stand on Benin, and the backsliding underway, while there is still time.
H.E. Rogatien Biaou is a veteran diplomat and a former Foreign Affairs and African Integration Minister of Benin, who served in that capacity from 2003-2006. Currently, he is the President of the Alliance Patriotique Nouvel Espoir (New Hope Patriotic Alliance).
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Vanguard Africa or the Vanguard Africa Foundation.