Legislative in Benin: a quota of candidates set up for the first time
The National Assembly of Benin in Porto-Novo, in May 2019 (Illustration image).
© PROSPER DAGNITCHE / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
In Benin, the election of January 8, 2023 will see the entry of several women into the Beninese Parliament.
Amendments to the electoral law in 2019 prescribed a quota of seats reserved for women.
This is a first, the seven competing political parties had to comply to obtain the validation of their lists by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (Cena).
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With our correspondent in Cotonou
,
Jean-Luc Aplogan
This reform of Patrice Talon enchants all activists who have been pleading for decades for the opening of Parliament to female deputies.
The electoral law,
amended in 2019
, sets the number of deputies at 109, including 24 seats reserved for women.
This is one of the conditions for having your list validated by the electoral commission, otherwise it is rejection.
"
Our parties are full of female activists, but to respect the imposed quota, we had to find volunteer candidates then go and find the others and convince them
", reports a party leader.
The Popular Liberation Movement (MPL), a very young party of Sabi Sira Korogoné, explains that it did a lot of awareness raising beforehand then reassured certain spouses before completing its list of 48 candidates, incumbents and alternates.
It is not yet exact parity, but the vintage of the
2023 legislative elections
will break all records in terms of representation of women in the National Assembly of Benin.
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Womens rights