Invalidation of the Democrats’ candidacy: Court expected Monday to rule on several appeals
The main opposition party, Les Démocrates, isn’t giving up. Excluded from the provisional list of candidates for the 2026 presidential election by the Commission électorale nationale autonome (CENA), the party led by Boni Yayi has filed a series of appeals with the Constitutional Court.
This Monday, the High Court is holding a special hearing to examine several petitions.
Among the appeals filed, that of Karim Goundi, deputy youth secretary of Les Démocrates, is drawing particular attention.
In his petition, he challenges the calculation method used by the CENA to determine the 15% endorsement threshold required.
According to him, with the total number of elected officials being 186 (109 deputies and 77 mayors), “15% of 186 equals 27.9, i.e. 27 endorsements when rounding down to the nearest whole number.”
By requiring 28 signatures, the CENA would therefore, in his view, have exceeded the threshold set by law. The petitioner cites Article 132 of the Electoral Code of 10 March 2024 in support, which states that a candidate must be sponsored by “at least 15% of all elected officials” without specifying an absolute number.
This difference in interpretation, seemingly minor, could prove decisive for the remainder of the electoral process for the opposition party.
A much-anticipated verdict
In total, five appeals have been filed with the Constitutional Court: by the candidate duo and by several party activists. All aim to obtain the reinstatement of Les Démocrates’ duo in the race for the presidency.
The plenary hearing scheduled for Monday, October 27 therefore promises to be crucial. Its verdict is eagerly awaited.