Benin's Supreme Court opens judicial year focused on electoral disputes
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 24h au Bénin
Illustrative image · USAID photoBenin's Supreme Court opened its 2026-2027 judicial year in Cotonou, placing electoral disputes over municipal elections at the centre of its work, under the theme "The electoral judge and the challenges of local democracy". The ceremony was held in the presence of National Assembly President Joseph Fifamin Djogbénou and Senegalese and Ivorian delegations.
Benin's Supreme Court opened its 2026-2027 judicial year in Cotonou on Thursday 5 November, devoted to the theme "The electoral judge and the challenges of local democracy", 24h au Bénin reports. The ceremony was held in the presence of National Assembly President Joseph Fifamin Djogbénou and Vice-President Mariam Chabi Talata Zimé, who represented President Romuald Wadagni.
Public Prosecutor Saturnin Afaton said 1,322 opinions had been issued during the past period, with an average processing time of seven days. "When a judge annuls an election, he does not destroy democracy, he restores it," he said, as the previous judicial year was marked by disputes over the municipal elections. Supreme Court President Victor Dassi Adossou presented the meeting as an exercise in accountability.
Bar Association President Zacharie Baba Body for his part said the commune constitutes "the first face of the Republic". Senate President Patrice Talon was represented by his vice-president Louis Gbèhounou Vlavonou, and delegations from Senegal and Ivory Coast took part in the opening. Benin's Senate had itself opened its first ordinary session a few days earlier.
