Benin: MPs approve temporary abolition of the CENA

The Republic of Benin is taking a new step in the reform of its electoral system. On July 10, 2026, Members of Parliament unanimously adopted Law No. 2026-14 temporarily abolishing the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA), the institution responsible for organizing elections. This decision comes just a few days before the expiration, on July 14, of the five-year non-renewable term of the current Electoral Council members. It is part of the institutional reforms that have established a new seven-year political cycle, resulting in the postponement of the next major national electoral deadlines to 2033.

The adopted text provides that a decree issued by the Council of Ministers will establish the modalities for managing the assets of the CENA as well as the conditions for the liquidation of its financial commitments. The institution’s service providers will be paid based on regularly issued invoices. In addition, the Commission’s staff will be temporarily made available to the public administration during this transitional period.

According to Orden Alladatin, President of the Committee on Laws, Administration, and Human Rights in the National Assembly, there is no longer any justification for maintaining the current CENA bodies. “If, in a week, we renew the mandate and establish a new electoral council, with the General Directorate of Elections being permanent, this electoral council will be installed and will not have to organize any elections for the next five years before its term expires,” he explained.

In its report, the Committee on Laws emphasizes that this reform aims to adapt the Electoral Code to the country’s new institutional orientations. It pursues a dual objective: to avoid the maintenance of an institution without electoral activity for several years and to initiate a reflection on the most suitable electoral administration model for the new political context.

The abolition of the provisions relating to the Electoral Council, the General Directorate of Elections, and the technical services of the CENA does not, however, mean the definitive disappearance of the institution. It is rather a temporary standby, pending a broader reform concerning its organization, missions, and functioning, before the next electoral deadlines.