As he had already done in 2016 during his election to the Benin presidential election, Patrice Talon once again promised that he would not be a candidate in five years.
Promises are binding only on those who believe in them. In this game, some African leaders are surpassing themselves. In April 2016, then elected after having gathered 65% of the votes, Patrice Talon was invested president of Benin. He was the bearer of hope at the time: "I will make my sole mandate a moral requirement by exercising state power with dignity and simplicity," he assured. The new elected president even wanted to include, in the texts, the single mandate of five years : “It will be written into the Constitution. We will find a consensus on this. It will be adopted in Benin, ”he promised.
A promise that was to make the "king of cotton" a president who keeps his commitments. "I dream that the Beninese will carry me in triumph in five years," he said in 2016. Five years later, Talon was not carried in triumph but was re-elected after carefully denying his statements.
"Limit mandates, for the benefit of the people"
Like five years ago, Patrice Talon has therefore undertaken to hand over the baton at the end of his five-year term. Three months after his re-election, the Beninese president met, during the closing of the second West African citizen summit on good governance, alternation and democracy, several African civil society organizations, such as Turn the page. He promised them that he would no longer be there in 2026. “In front of you, I will commit myself, call you as a witness to pass this baton on, the third Sunday of May 2026 to the one who will have the confidence of the Beninese people. », Indicated Patrice Talon.
Faced with civil society, the Beninese president played a funny game: if he qualified his remarks by saying that he had "the obligation not to give lessons", Talon said he was "honored to defend on Beninese soil this virtue that is expected of a governor not to take himself for almighty God, the Eternal, and to have the humility to understand that another can always do better ”. An ironic exit when you know how the head of state of Benin pushed opponents out of his way during the presidential campaign, and how he reneged on his promises made five years earlier.
This time, however, Patrice Talon will have a lot to do if he wants to go back on his commitments: the Beninese constitution limits the number of presidential terms to two. "Limiting terms of office is, in all respects, for the benefit of the people, rather than letting each other remain in office forever," said loudly Patrice Talon, who "advocates alternation" and "" commit to defend it ”. During the West African citizen summit on good governance, alternation and democracy, Talon on the other hand completely concealed the subjects of the promised constitutional reform and the single five-year term.