Lawmakers in the Republic of Benin have voted in favour of a major constitutional amendment that extends the presidential term from five to seven years and introduces a bicameral legislature for the first time in the country’s history.
The measure was passed on Friday during a plenary session at the Palace of the Governors in Porto-Novo. The decision was announced on Saturday through an official statement shared on the Facebook page of the Assemblée Nationale du Bénin.
According to the legislature, the bill received overwhelming backing, with 90 deputies voting in favour and 19 against, thereby approving changes to the 1990 Constitution, last revised in 2019.
“The deputies of the 9th Legislature adopted, by 90 votes for and 19 against, the law modifying the Constitution of the Republic of Benin,” the Assembly stated.
The parliamentary leadership explained that before the final vote, the proposal had to meet the three-quarters approval threshold required by Article 154.
Lawmakers achieved this during the preliminary vote, securing 87 votes in favour and 22 against, which enabled the House to proceed to a secret ballot.
Overall, the reform package introduces 15 new articles and amends 18 existing ones.
One of the most consequential adjustments is to Article 42, which now provides for a seven-year presidential tenure, renewable once. The revised clause reinforces a strict two-term limit.
“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,” the new article states.
The constitutional overhaul also establishes a two-chamber parliament, comprising the National Assembly and a newly created Senate. Under the updated Article 79, both bodies will share legislative authority and oversee government operations.
“Parliament now exercises legislative power and monitors government action through two chambers: the National Assembly and the Senate,” the document notes.
Article 80 introduces new rules for lawmakers, fixing deputies’ terms at seven years. It also stipulates that any lawmaker who resigns from the political party that sponsored them during the legislative elections automatically forfeits their seat.
The Senate’s role is further defined in revised Article 113.1, which assigns it responsibility for stabilising political life and safeguarding national unity, development, territorial defence, public security, democracy, and peace.
