Engage in dialogues to promote election transparency - ECOWAS Mission

Shirley Botchwey led a pre-electoral mission to Benin ahead of elections in April

An ECOWAS Pre-Electoral Mission to the Republic of Benin has urged all socio-political actors in the country to engage in dialogue as a means of achieving conducive conditions for a transparent, successful election.

Benin will hold presidential elections on April 11, 2021 and the team, led by Ghana's minister-designate for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, was in the country to exchange views with the main Beninese electoral stakeholders.

The meetings were also aimed at assessing the level of preparations of the institutions and of socio-political actors at ensuring "the conduct of an inclusive, free, fair, transparent, credible, and peaceful presidential election."

According to a statement, the role of "the mission was in line with the ECOWAS Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of 2001, particularly with regard to the provisions related to conflict prevention."

The mission also paid a courtesy call on the president of Benin, Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon, who expressed his appreciation for the initiative, and explained the rationale for the implementation of the electoral reforms in his country.

He gave the Mission his assurances of working in the best interest of credibility and fairness.

Among the groups the Mission met with were the President of the Constitutional Court, the Minister of Interior and Security, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, as well as a delegation of the ruling Party and its affiliates.

Also, the team met with a delegation of political parties from the opposition and representatives of civil societies in Benin.

They also got briefing on an attempted assassination of one of the presumed candidates in the presidential election and on the progress of the ongoing investigations.

The Mission therefore encouraged the authorities to get to the root of the attempted assassinations, "in order to shed light on the conditions of the attach and sanction the perpetrators."