Local elections in Benin postponed to June 28

The Constitutional Court of Benin has authorized the postponement of the municipal, communal and local elections from May 31 to June 28, the Constitutional Court announced here late Tuesday.

The Constitutional Court also invited the Head of State of Benin to reconvene the electorate for its consultation on June 26.

Emmanuel Tiando, president of the National Autonomous Electoral Commission, had asked for the postponement of municipal and local elections in order to correct some irregularities during the legislative elections on April 26.

"We wanted and obtained the consensus of the representatives of political parties and alliances to see these municipal and local elections, to correct certain malfunctions that have staked the laws of April 26, including training of election officials to be deployed in positions of voting and resumption of distributions of voter cards to thousands of voters who were unable to express their rights to vote in parliamentary elections of April 26," he added.

These municipal, communal and local elections will designate 1, 199 municipal and city councilors of the third mandate of the era of democratic renewal in progress since February 1990 in Benin. The 77 mayors, 176 deputy mayors, 546 Borough leaders will be responsible for managing local affairs. Endite