Constitutional revision: Democrats announce legal challenges
The parliamentary group Les Démocrates (LD) denounced on Saturday, November 15 a “sham vote” during the overnight adoption of the constitutional revision and is demanding the annulment of the ballot.
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At a press conference, LD deputies said they would pursue all legal avenues.
According to Les Démocrates, the vote took place amid serious irregularities, with disruptions in the counting, power cuts during the session and alleged tampering with the ballots. MP Habib Woroucoubou says a power cut that occurred at a crucial moment skewed the vote.
LD deputies said they had voiced reservations from the start of the process, notably about the composition of the vote-counting committee, which they considered insufficiently neutral.
A “high-level” fraud, according to LD
In its statement, LD accuses the parliamentary majority of having orchestrated massive fraud: “repeated power cuts”, results “adjusted during the blackout” and tampering with votes. The party rejects any legitimacy of the vote and is calling for an independent audit of the process.
Legal action and call to mobilize
The parliamentary group announces it will not recognize this revision until the areas of uncertainty are clarified. It plans to take the case to the competent courts. It also calls on civil society and the international community to closely monitor the situation, arguing that Beninese democracy is facing an “institutional threat”.