2023-06-16 01:03:07
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Thanks to a declaration made public last Wednesday in the hemicycle, the parliamentary group Les Démocrates denounced the acts of exclusion of which its deputies would be victims in the recent appointments made by the National Assembly for the choice of its representatives in different external structures and institutions of the republic. “Here we are again faced with the fait accompli that they want to impose on us. Here we are in the presence of new attempts at electoral hold-ups…..” condemned Nourénou Atchadé, president of the said in the declarations read. Read its entirety below.
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STATEMENT IN THE GALLERY OF THE DEMOCRATS PARLIAMENTARY GROUP
Mister President,
Dear colleagues,
On Thursday, April 13, 2023, the opening of the first ordinary session of this year took place and the investiture of the President of the National Assembly, on behalf of the 9th legislature. These two ceremonies saw the effective presence of the deputies of the party “THE DEMOCRATES”.
In his address, the President of the National Assembly promised to lead this transitional legislature with fairness by involving all political sensitivities. We note that this statement, which acts as a good faith intention, contradicts the way in which the activities within the parliament have been carried out since the installation of the legislature until today.
It is clear that since the installation of the 9th legislature, everything has been set in motion to make the one and only parliamentary minority represented by the elected members of the DEMOCRATES party homeless. We only want as proof of this the method used to proceed with the reinstallation of the members of the permanent commissions after the decision of the Constitutional Court.
Also, we deplore the process that led to the appointment and installation of the members of the 7th term of the Constitutional Court.
Indeed, for a meeting of the office of the National Assembly scheduled to be held on Monday, May 22, 2023 at 1 p.m., it is only the same day at 10 a.m. that the cabinet of the second vice-president representing the minority in the within this office, receives the letter of invitation. This maneuver is nothing but a ruse aimed at preventing the candidacy of the minority. Otherwise how can we understand that the office of the National Assembly, which knows the health situation of the Honorable AHOSSI, can unfortunately take the opportunity to make appointments that do not take any account of his presence in the office of the National Assembly.
Mister President,
Dear colleagues,
The consequence of this exclusive designation is that on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the people of Benin attended, quite amazed, the installation in the palace of the presidency, of the new constitutional court in the presence of the Head of State and the office of the National Assembly. This installation took place despite the strong protest raised by the DEMOCRATES party, through its press briefing organized on Friday, May 26, 2023 in Cotonou relating to the supposed appointment of new members of the constitutional court. This press briefing had denounced the method and the cavalier approach which led to the designation of the four (4) personalities to sit in court on behalf of the office of the National Assembly.
This situation consecrates the pure and simple exclusion of the DEMOCRATES party and of the entire opposition to the designation of the 4 members of the Constitutional Court representing the National Assembly and consequently to the 7th mandate of the Constitutional Court. However, the Constitutional Court is the judicial institution for regulating the functioning of the public authorities, for reviewing the constitutionality of legal texts, for protecting human rights and public freedoms and also responsible for managing electoral disputes in matters of presidential and legislative elections. In this context, the Constitutional Court appears as an indispensable link in a State of law and democracy. It is therefore unacceptable to exclude from the process of appointing its members a major political player, the opposition, even if it is a minority. This is why the arbitrators or judges of the institution, also called sages, must come from given professional backgrounds that can guarantee them a certain independence vis-à-vis the public authorities.
Also, the choice of our representatives in the regional parliaments and other state institutions did not derogate from the gluttonous appetite of our comrades in the majority. We must always return to manipulation in favor of the mechanical majority to say the opposite of what we supported the day before, the main thing is to get what we want: the posts.
All this political cavalry leads to an institutional framework which, if nothing is done, will inexorably lead our country, Benin, to general elections in 2026 that are not transparent and lack credibility. The characteristics of this institutional framework are as follows:
Ø the Constitutional Court: 100% controlled by President Patrice Talon and his two Siamese parties;
Ø the CENA: 100% controlled by President Patrice Talon and his two Siamese parties;
Ø ANIP: the body responsible for compiling the electoral list is also 100% controlled by President Patrice Talon. I remind you that at the head of this agency is appointed a Rwandan for purposes that we continue to ignore.
On closer inspection, this institutional framework totally violates the ECOWAS Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which provides in Article 3 that “the bodies responsible for elections must be independent and/or neutral and have the confidence of the actors and protagonists of political life. If necessary, appropriate consultation must determine the nature and form of the said bodies”. Better still, article 5 of the same protocol provides that “the electoral lists will be established in a transparent and reliable manner with the participation of the political parties and the voters who can consult them as needed”. It should be remembered that these sub-regional legal instruments ratified by our government are above our national laws.
In view of all the above, we can affirm without risk of being mistaken that all the reforms carried out having led to the establishment of the institutional framework (constitutional court, CENA, ANIP) on behalf of the general elections of 2026 are fraudulent maneuvers because contrary to the ECOWAS Protocol which obliges Member States to establish joint bodies responsible for the management of elections.
Mister President,
Dear colleagues,
Here we are once again faced with the fait accompli that they want to impose on us. Here we are in the presence of new attempts at an electoral hold-up. The principle is now known. Only the people are sovereign and it is up to them to appoint their leaders and/or representatives through the ballot box. Given the institutional framework as presented, we want, from this rostrum, to call the people of Benin and the international community to witness that, although represented by 28 deputies in the National Assembly, the party LES DEMOCRATES was excluded of the process of designating the 4 personalities to sit on the court.
At this stage of my intervention, I would like to call on colleagues to produce knowledge through the laws that we vote for here in the National Assembly rather than tricking the laws. The productions are useful for both current and future generations. On the other hand, trickery can only generate controversial or even conflicting situations, both now and in the future. According to Jean Cocteau “The truth should not be confused with the opinion of the majority”. The truth is unique, it is better to seek it to move forward rather than trying to circumvent it and stand still.
Mister President,
Dear colleagues,
No modern democracy works on the basis of the jungle system: I am stronger, I do what I please.
Mr President of the National Assembly,
You will be the only one whose name will be retained as destroyer of democracy and having favored a jurisprudence which reduces the minority to its simplest expression.
Before saying goodbye to you, I would like to share with you this quote from Nelson Mandela “Let your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears.
Thank you.
#fait #accompli