Constitutional revision: “the seven-year term is not to my advantage”, Patrice Talon

The head of state says this is neither a personal calculation nor a political U-turn, but a response to the structural constraints of Benin’s development.

After nine years at the head of the country, the man who had pledged in 2016 to serve only one term believes that the five-year term does not allow for sustainably transforming a country faced with essential needs.

“Five years is too short,” he declared, stressing that public action requires a longer timeframe than that imposed by electoral cycles.

To back up his point, Patrice Talon mentioned several major projects undertaken during his tenure, such as the transformation of Ganvié, the relocation of the Dantokpa market, the construction of the new seat of the National Assembly, and road projects. All of these, he says, have been slowed by the complexity of technical studies and counter-expert reviews, to the point of exceeding a five-year term.

This gap, the president says, feeds a constant tension between political urgency and the reality of implementation. Governing, he insisted, requires time, whereas accountability follows a shorter timetable.

Asked about the fact that the seven-year term is not the norm in several Western democracies, Patrice Talon downplayed the comparison. He pointed out that in countries like France, Canada or the United States, governments are not required to provide basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, roads or schools, because those needs are already met. In contrast, Benin, in his words, must “make a leap into the future with needs that date back to the Middle Ages.”