House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks, Jacobs Call for Free & Fair Presidential Election in Benin

Washington, D.C. - Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs, Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee, today released the following statement in advance of the April 12 presidential election in Benin:

"As Benin prepares for Sunday's presidential election, it faces a number of challenges threatening to derail its democracy. Political elites have weaponized the justice system to prevent Renaud Agbodjo and other opposition figures from running for election. Additionally, the executive branch has expanded its powers at the expense of the legislature, weakening the checks and balances intended to prevent one-man rule. Sunday's election allows the Beninese people to weigh in on these developments and choose their future path.

"We urge Benin's leaders to respect the will of the people and ensure a free and fair presidential election by upholding the rule of law and allowing citizen election observers to freely report on all aspects of the electoral process. We stand with civil society groups calling for this election to form the basis of an open and inclusive dialogue to reaffirm Benin's commitment to transparent, accountable, and citizen-centered governance. Failing to do so would undermine the hard-fought democratic gains that Benin has achieved and risk returning to the corrupt autocratic rule that the Beninese people rejected 30 years ago."

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