Benin has just adopted a constitutional revision that notably includes extending the presidential term from five to seven years and the creation of a Senate.
Six months ahead of the April 2026 presidential election, the text was approved by 90 deputies against 19, with no abstentions.
Initially convened to rule on an amendment to the 2019 Constitution specifically aimed at establishing a second parliamentary chamber, lawmakers ultimately approved a much broader set of reforms.
The duration of the mandates of the President of the Republic, deputies, and local elected officials will now be seven years, renewable, without altering the principle that a president may not serve more than two terms in their lifetime.
The most talked-about provision concerns the deputies: any parliamentarian elected under a party label who resigns from that party will now automatically lose their seat. This measure comes just days after six deputies left the opposition party Les Démocrates, weakened by an internal crisis and by the rejection of Renaud Agbodjo’s presidential candidacy.
The constitutional revision also opens the way for the creation of the Senate, presented by its supporters as a "council of elders.”
The new institution will be composed of 25 to 30 members, some appointed and others sitting by virtue of their former positions, notably former presidents of the Republic or heads of institutions. The Senate will be tasked with "regulating political life” and may request a second reading of certain laws—except budgetary texts.
This reform comes as the Constitutional Court has validated the list of candidates for the 2026 presidential election, which will notably see Romuald Wadagni, the candidate of the presidential movement, face Paul Hounkpé, representing the Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Émergent (FCBE).
The adopted text must still undergo a constitutionality review by the Constitutional Court before being promulgated by President Patrice Talon. This new political milestone is generating strong interest in the country, where constitutional revisions remain a highly sensitive issue.