The word “Democracy” holds far more than its definition, it represents a promise. The promise of control over one’s own life, control of government systems, and most importantly, the knowledge that a single voice, a single vote, has inherent value. What can it be called then, if an election is almost guaranteed to be won before a single vote is cast? This is the question that the citizens of the Republic of Benin have been faced with under President Patrice Talon multiple times since his election and still is the case in the lead up to the 2021 election. While Benin was formerly looked at as a Democratic success story with the strength of its institutions, the election of President Patrice Talon and the subsequent government policies enacted have eroded the democratic norms of the country. Combined with the recent impact of COVID-19 during an election cycle, the Beninese election is one of mounting frustration and a precarious balance of governmental legitimacy. With the election looking grim, the people of Benin are left to wonder, is this their new normal?
According to Freedom House’s historical rankings, while in 2019 Benin was able to maintain its status of “free” at 79/100, it has now plunged to 66/100 and joined the “partially free” category for 2020 with an expected fall again in 2021. Current President Patrice Talon was elected in 2016 running as an independent candidate after being the chief financial backer of his opponent, former president Thomas Boni Yayi for years. President Talon’s early political career was full of controversy. He fled to France when he was charged with embezzlement, and later was accused of and subsequently pardoned in an independent murder plot targeting President Yayi. Very notably, one of Talon’s campaign promises in 2016 was to reduce the term of the presidency to 5 years, however now 5 years later, Talon is running with no competition.
The stage was set for an uncompetitive election to occur in the aftermath of the 2019 Parliamentary elections. Despite having an incredibly diverse political makeup with roughly 39 registered parties, due to new regulations, “Opposition candidates were barred from running, and only two parties, both loyal to Talon, won seats in parliament – Union Progressiste won 47 seats, and the Bloc Républicain won 36.” Not only is this clear suppression of opposing parties, but it also solidifies the Presidents’ majority support within the legislature to allow for him to be able to pass these policies.
The people showed their discontent by refusing to cast the votes that allowed them no choice. There was no opposition candidate on the ballot in 2019 and consequently, three-quarters of the country’s five million registered voters stayed at home. Since becoming a Democracy, Benin’s participation before this point had never been below 50 percent of registered voters which shows a clear delineation of the trust of voters in the system under President Talon. This trust was further eroded when the President sent the military to disperse the protests. The military reportedly, “responded with force, firing live rounds into the crowd. At least four people were killed.” It is the right of every citizen to be able to peacefully protest, and with the violence which occured in 2019, the government of Benin was internationally condemned, notably by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Benin 2021 Election is already partially underway with the commencement of voting for regional elections. In May 2020, local elections took place in the wake of public disapproval in reaction to dangerous polling sites during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this election, out of all of the political parties which exist in Benin, there was only one party which ran in opposition to the President which is known as the Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Emergent (FCBE). This election was so critical because local elections in Benin also help to determine the candidates for the presidential election; but with only one opposition party there truly were no options. This election was also formally condemned by the regional African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights which put out a statement saying that the vote should be suspended. In the aftermath, the Talon controlled government chose to disregard the ruling and sever the majority of its ties with the court to express its disagreement.
In a system this corroded, the question remains, what is the opinion of the people and how are they advocating for themselves? Largely their response has taken the form of protests, boycotting the elections, and also writing and organizing a fully fledged new Constitution titled “Manifeste pour la restauration de l’ordre démocratique et républicain au Bénin” (“Manifesto for the Restoration of Democratic and Republican Order in Benin.”) This document’s very existence showcases the organized pushback from the people. The most important thing established in this document is that it specifically targets the role of Talon in democratic backsliding. Roughly translated into English, one focal point within the document states, “The Political regime in place since 2016 continues to roll back the rule of law while the political opposition, civil society and intermediary bodies are reduced to silence.” This is a critical moment because this statement establishes that in the eyes of the people, President Talon is the cause of the backsliding. Not only does this document showcase the exact civil rights the people feel have been violated, but it also establishes a unitary organization referred to as “CODER-Bénin” to further coordinate and solidify their beliefs. Thus far the document has been amassing signatories and serving as a rallying cry to organize opposition to the President.
The hope within this situation rests on one of the cornerstones of democracy, the dissent of the people in the face of injustice. When people live in a formerly stable democracy such as Benin, they often internalize democratic values and feel empowered to fight for their rights. The popular boycott of the election combined with the written Manifesto is proof that the people are not giving in and not backing down. Despite the challenges presented to them, it seems clear that people are starting to organize in more cohesive ways to reaffirm their democratic institutions. In the absence of any real competition and in a democracy run by an increasingly authoritarian figure, it can be easy to lose hope. What drives the movement against President Talon and the things he stands for lies in the heart of the citizens. If the question to answer is “what is an election in the absence of competition?” the people of Benin have an answer. Resoundingly the solution to this conundrum is through establishing this election not as a vehicle of the state, but as a “resistance in the making.”
References
“Benin President Pardons ‘poison-Plot’ Businessman Who Fled to France.” RFI, 15 May 2014, https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20140515-benin-president-pardons-poison-plot-businessman-who-fled-france.
Benin Protesters in Violent Clashes with Security Forces after Polemic Polls – Africa Briefing. https://africabriefing.org/2019/05/benin-protesters-in-violent-clashes-with-security-forces-after-polemic-polls/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.
Benin Votes in Controversial Local Polls despite COVID-19 Threat.-Aljazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/18/benin-votes-in-controversial-local-polls-despite-covid-19-threat. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.
Benin’s 2021 Presidential Election Is Already Decided.-IPS Journal https://www.ips-journal.eu/regions/africa/benins-2021-presidential-election-is-already-decided-4397/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.
ISS: Benin’s Local Elections Further Reduce the Political Space – DefenceWeb. https://www.defenceweb.co.za/governance/governance-governance/iss-benins-local-elections-further-reduce-the-political-space/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.
It Was a Robust Democracy. Then the New President Took Power. – The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/world/africa/benin-protests-talon-yayi.html. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.
Le Manifeste Citoyen. https://benin-manifeste-citoyen.org/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.
Photo Credit: Africa Briefing Editorial Staff https://africabriefing.org/2019/05/benin-protesters-in-violent-clashes-with-security-forces-after-polemic-polls
I want first to thank you for this elaborate and well-researched blog post. I genuinely feel that I have a much better understanding of the region and the issues being presented. It is abundantly Clear that President Talon no longer or rather never worked to convey the will of the people. Talon seems to be taking note from our president with his resistance to dangerous in-person voting during a global pandemic and his Attempts to push Benin back into an authoritarian regime. What is both awe-inspiring and heart reaching is the people’s response? They were able to create their manifesto proves the current government’s incompetence, and that is heartbreaking considering just four years ago they were a bustling democracy. However, as an African myself, I can’t tell you how amazing it is to see the people fight against their oppressive governments. I just finished reading another blog post centered on Liberia and the havoc the government is wrenching on its people. Unlike Liberia, the people of Benin are fully aware of their rights, and not afraid to showcase that!
Hi Nasra,
I, like you, was really inspired by this story because it seems as if even while their institutions are fighting against them, the people remain united in their belief in Democracy. I would love to research more about Liberia and the situation there and see if there is any key divergence in the two cases. I believe it is in studying cases of Democratic erosion comparatively that some more concrete patterns may be revealed. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and respond!
Hey Marley,
This was a really interesting blog post. I was not very familiar with this region before reading and now I have a much better grasp of the information. President Talon was never working in the best interest of the people he served. The fact that they were able to work together to fight this failure of government is amazing. The government has failed the people of Benin. A few years ago this region was a democracy and now look at it. This fight to regain control of their country is incredible yet still worrisome that there has to be a fight at all. I think that there must be more attention placed on this issue. I may just be out of the loop but I was not familiar with this until reading your post. Compared to other countries in the region here is an incredible sense of resilience the citizens represent and I will be keeping a closer eye on this situation as it develops.
Hi Sam!
I agree completely that this upcoming election is the true marker of failure from the government to serve the people. Opposition and discourse are the keys to democracy and when all who disagree with the administration are silenced it creates a real injustice. I’m really glad I was able to inform you of this issue, and I will also continue to follow the developments in the region as things progress. Thank you so much for your comment!
Interesting blog post Marley! It certainly gives me hope to see that the people of Benin are trying to bring back democratic norms peacefully and diplomatically, by trying to establish and legitimise their own constitution, as well as boycotting elections. I definitely think that seeking change too abruptly or aggressively ultimately brings less change than if it had been slow and progressive. To see that the people are progressively transitioning to democracy is promising and I think is actually even strategic.
What about you? Do you think the people of Benin should be more forceful and violent in their approach to restore democracy or should they do everything transparently and peacefully?
To me, it seems like every time groups of people resort to violence and seek a very rapid revolution, the governments breaks down and society divides itself into violent groups who then fight amongst each other until one takes over, and often times brings the country back into tyranny and authoritarianism. Therefore I believe the actual long-lasting change will establish itself over time, just as the people of Benin have been doing so far. What do you think?
Hi Winston,
First of all, thank you so much for your thoughtful comments and questions. I am in agreement with you that the way that the people have been responding gives me hope for the future. Democracy requires enthusiastic participation and ownership; and by drafting a new constitution and attempting to unify I believe the people can do exactly that. I do not think the people should be more forceful and violent because based on the history of Benin pre-democracy, they had an absolutely staggering number of military coups in the country. I fear more force by protesters would revitalize the same pattern. What I do think should happen though is more forceful condemnation from other nations on the killing of protestors by the military in Benin. The only way to peace is justice and maintaining the right to peaceful protest for all. Thanks again and I hope this provides some context to your questions!
Marley,
Great article! Really unfortunate to see the sudden decay of this “Democratic success” story collapse pretty quickly within 9 years into an overwhelmingly authoritarian force, and the protest inspired by it seems both noble but in many ways daunting. In particular I find the observation interesting about the boycott of the vote; while contemporary logic would say this is the wrong move (as a lack of a vote isn’t heard), its harder in a case where just casting a ballot with one candidate is almost an insult to democracy itself. Added to the difficulty is Talon’s seeming disregard for international factors, with his choice to ignore the African of Human and People’s Rights as a rejection both of external assistance and the role in a Court. Combine this with the total control of the legislature, I have to ask; do you think the current and generally non-violent resistance is enough to gum up this path to authoritarianism? The people doing so are heroic, and I know Chenoweth and Stephan’s Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolence seems to suggest that non-violence is always more effective than violent ones even in authoritarian regimes, and yet just the background of your wonderful blog-post show a fairly overwhelming, censoring, and violent power grab. Do you think the Manifesto is enough to spark proper, effective, and civil disobedience? Likewise I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on how despite the antagonisms of the regime, the people of Benin thus far have been quite resolute in standing against his reign peacefully.
Before reading your post, I knew of Benin as one of the democratic success stories in West Africa. I was unaware that in the past four years, their leader has been eroding their institutions, elections, and liberties. The resistance to President Talon’s authoritarian behavior is really heartening. I suspect that because Benin has relatively long-standing and strong democratic norms, the people are motivated and able to respond to the erosion of competition and freedom of expression in their democracy. They are used to a higher standard of governance, and they are willing to fight to regain that. I also think that the resistance is strong because this erosion happened very quickly. It was not very subtle or slow; Talon made extreme changes to Beninese political processes in just a few years. The Beninese people deserve a lot of credit for fighting to preserve their democracy by protesting, boycotting the legislative election, and writing a manifesto for Benin’s restoration. I am very nervous and interested to see what will happen in the 2021 presidential elections. I expect that if no opposition candidate is allowed to run, the people will boycott the election again and violent protests will continue, maybe even a civil war. If President Talon does allow an opposition candidate to run, we should expect stories about voter intimidation and election fraud. It does not sound like he will let go of power without massive international and domestic pressure, violence, or both. I hope that the Beninese opposition will use nonviolent tactics to protest Talon because these could be more effective in drawing international attention. Lukas mentioned Chenoweth and Stephan’s Why Civil Resistance Works before me, and I think that he is right to bring this up especially in Benin’s situation because they were such a pretty successful democracy before Talon came to power. Their democratic history along with nonviolent resistance would draw international attention and put pressure on Talon to submit to the will of the people.
Stellar summary and analysis of the election situation in Benin. While it is disheartening to know that such a “success story” for Democracy is in dire straits, it is also affirming to see the Beninese people so adamant about protecting their democratic rights. As others have stated above, it is a testament to past successes that the population has such strong democratic values ingrained in them to the point of vigorous protest and the creation of entirely new Constitution. After reading your post, I will definitely be keeping my eyes and ears on the election in the coming months. Clear, concise, and informative read!