Benin elections: the waiting game

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the precarious electoral environment in Benin as of December 2014. It focuses on the delays in updating the permanent computerized electoral list (LEPI), the risks of political instability surrounding the 2015 legislative and 2016 presidential elections, and the legal and social barriers preventing President Thomas Boni Yayi from seeking a third term.

• Benin faced a complex electoral cycle with three sets of elections: local, communal, and municipal elections (postponed since 2013), parliamentary elections scheduled for February/March 2015, and a presidential election scheduled for 2016.
• The updating of the permanent computerized electoral list (LEPI) was delayed due to a combination of political calculations by parties wanting to delay polls until the end of President Yayi's term, financial difficulties caused by the refusal of development partners to provide funding, and the use of inappropriate optical scanning technology.
• There was widespread speculation and fear that President Thomas Boni Yayi might attempt to remain in power beyond 2016 through a constitutional review, despite his public pledges to step down.
• The Constitutional Court of Benin serves as a primary legal barrier to a third presidential term, having issued decisions in October 2011 and August 2014 that exclude the restriction of two presidential terms from any constitutional review.
• The report identifies significant risks to political stability, including the possibility of a coup or popular revolt if elections are not held or if the president clings to power, drawing parallels to the 2014 revolution in Burkina Faso.
• Benin's civil society, which was instrumental in the 'Democratic Renewal' of the 1990s, is currently described as weak because many of its leading figures joined the political arena or aligned with political parties between 2006 and 2011.

APA

Laleyè, F. A. (2014). Benin elections: the waiting game. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS_11_Benin.pdf

Chicago

Laleyè, Francis Adébola. Benin elections: the waiting game. Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS_11_Benin.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Laleyè |first1=Francis Adébola |title=Benin elections: the waiting game |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=December 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS_11_Benin.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{laley2014benin, author = {Laleyè, Francis Adébola}, title = {{Benin elections: the waiting game}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS_11_Benin.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }