Municipal and legislative elections in January 2026: UP-R bans any posters featuring candidates’ images
As the municipal and legislative elections scheduled for January 11, 2026 approach, the High Political Directorate of Union progressiste le Renouveau (UP-R) has tightened the rules governing its candidates’ electoral communication.
Joseph Djogbénou, nouveau président de l’Union Progressiste.
@Présidence du Bénin
In an official note dated December 15, 2025, addressed to all candidates, alternates and party structures, the leadership formally prohibits any use of posters, handbills or visual materials featuring the image or photo of a candidate, whether these are individual or collective initiatives.
According to the document, this prohibition applies regardless of how the materials are funded, including when they are paid for by the candidates themselves.
From now on, only visuals strictly conforming to the party’s colors, visual identity and official messages are allowed for the campaign.
The High Political Directorate specifies that any breach of this instruction will be considered a violation of internal directives and will expose the offender to disciplinary sanctions, in accordance with applicable regulations.
The note also stresses the need for immediate distribution of this directive at all levels of the party, in order to ensure uniform application across the national territory. The measure takes effect without delay.
By this decision, the UP-R appears to want to strengthen internal discipline and favor a campaign centered on the party’s identity rather than on personalizing candidacies — in other words, it is about promoting the party and not the candidates’ identities.