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Constitutional Revision in Benin
On Saturday, the Beninese National Assembly approved a series of constitutional amendments with 90 out of 109 votes. These include extending the terms of the head of state, members of parliament, and mayors from five to seven years, as well as the creation of a second parliamentary chamber. According to the legal text, the official role of this new Senate is the “regulation of political life in order to preserve and strengthen national unity, democracy, and peace”. The future 25 to 30 senators will be able to request a second reading of most laws. The Senate will not be composed of elected members but will consist of former presidents, former officeholders, and other individuals appointed by the president. The adopted amendments must still be confirmed by the Constitutional Court and are expected to enter into force after next year’s elections. President Patrice Talon, who is at the end of his second term and therefore cannot stand for re-election, is not affected by the extension of presidential terms. This constitutional revision would be the second during his ten years in office. As early as 2019, the office of vice president and a gender quota for parliament were introduced, and the death penalty was abolished.
According to the governing coalition of Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UPR) and Bloc Républicain (BR), the constitutional amendments are intended to strengthen the stability, transparency, and dynamism of the institutions. The opposition party Les Démocrates (LD), however, rejected the creation of a second chamber. Kolawolé Dijman Ogbon, a LD member of parliament (MP), criticised among other things that the members of the Senate would not be elected by the population. Others accuse President Talon of having established the Senate deliberately in order to secure his control over the future head of state. Parts of the opposition also warn that the extension of terms of office could, in the long term, further restrict political competition and deepen existing political divisions. In addition, the LD has expressed doubts about the validity of the parliamentary vote. According to the official result of the secret ballot, several LD MPs voted with the governing coalition in favour of the constitutional amendment; however, LD MP Habibou Woroucoubou ruled out any internal split within the party. Orden Alladatin, UPR MP and chair of the legislative committee, rejected the allegations.
Benin will hold local and parliamentary elections in January next year, followed by the presidential election in April. At the end of October, the national electoral authority, the Commission électorale nationale autonome (CENA), announced that Renaud Agbodjo (LD) had failed to secure the required support of at least 28 MPs for his presidential candidacy and would therefore not be permitted to run. As a result, the candidate of the governing camp, the current Minister of the Economy and Finance, Romuald Wadagni, will face Paul Hounkpè of the Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Émergent alone in April’s presidential race. Wadagni has served as Minister of the Economy and Finance since President Talon took office in 2016 and is considered a close confidant of the head of state. The introduction of a minimum number of elected sponsors for a presidential candidacy had already led to large parts of the opposition being excluded from the 2021 election; in 2024 this threshold was raised from 16 to 28 MPs. On 10 November, CENA also rejected the LD’s list for the local elections due to formal errors.
G20 Summit in Johannesburg
From Saturday to Sunday, South Africa will host the G20 summit in Johannesburg under its G20 presidency. It is the first summit of its kind on the African continent. Heads of state and government as well as high-ranking representatives of the G20 member states are expected to attend. These include, in addition to the world’s 19 largest economies, the European Union and, since 2023, the African Union. Other countries and international organisations such as the United Nations have also been invited – a total of around 42 states. Germany will be represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Argentine President Javier Milei will each send high-ranking representatives. The United States had initially announced that it would not attend the summit; whether and in what form it might still participate remains to be seen.
South Africa is placing its G20 presidency under the motto of ‘solidarity, equality and sustainability’ and wants to prioritise the growing national debt on the African continent. The South African delegation wants to push for a systemic reform of debt management that goes beyond the previous proposals for a temporary payment freeze. One of the specific proposals is the establishment of a ‘club of debtor countries’. This would serve as a forum for developing joint strategies, exchanging information and strengthening the negotiating position of the countries concerned. In addition, debts are to be increasingly taken on in currencies that reduce exchange rate risk.
Even before the summit, the US, which will take over the G20 presidency in 2026, expressed resistance to proposals on key issues such as debt relief, the green energy transition and the expansion of health infrastructure. Relations between Washington and Pretoria have been tense since US President Donald Trump took office. Vice President JD Vance, who was originally supposed to attend the summit, repeatedly emphasised that South Africa’s G20 priorities ran counter to US policy. Trump also repeatedly claimed that the minority of white Africans who ruled the country during apartheid were subject to ‘genocide’ – an accusation that Ramaphosa strongly rejected. A week ago, Trump finally announced that the US would boycott the summit in Johannesburg and not send any high-level representatives, stating that without US participation, no joint final declaration would be possible. Ramaphosa disagreed and made it clear that South Africa would not be intimidated when it came to adopting the final declaration (‘we won’t get bullied’). On Thursday evening, Ramaphosa stated that the US had signalled its possible participation, a claim that was rejected by the White House. According to the US administration, only embassy envoy Marc Dillard would attend the closing ceremony to receive the G20 presidency baton, but would not take part in political discussions. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson rejected this form of handover.
Analysts see the possible absence of the US as an opportunity, despite the political challenges. On the one hand, it could be easier to reach a consensus, and on the other, it would give South Africa the opportunity to strengthen cooperation with other G20 members. On Thursday evening, Ramaphosa announced the signing of the first Clean Trade and Investment Partnership (CTIP) at a joint press conference with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Parliament President António Costa. This is intended to strengthen the EU’s role as a preferred partner for countries committed to a green energy transition. In addition, the EU and South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding on a partnership in the field of value chains for critical minerals and metals, as well as other projects under the Global Gateway Initiative. Whether the US will actually participate and whether a final declaration will be adopted with or without its participation remains open for the time being. After the G20 summit in Johannesburg, attention will then turn to the EU-AU summit, which will take place on 24-25 November in Luanda, Angola. The German Chancellor has also confirmed his participation in this summit.
In other news
From Saturday to Sunday, the Rugby Women’s Sevens Cup took place in Nairobi, Kenya, with national teams from eleven African countries participating. The South African Springbok Women secured first place in this year’s tournament with a 22-0 victory over the Kenyan Lionesses in the final, winning their third consecutive title. The players from Uganda came in third place. All three teams qualified for the 2026 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series, which will be held in South Africa in early March. In the Rugby Sevens format, teams consist of seven players, in contrast to the classic version with 15 players per team. In addition, the games are significantly shorter, with two halves of seven minutes each, which usually leads to faster and more dynamic gameplay. Since the first African tournament in 2006, the number of participating countries has risen steadily. Rugby Sevens has also been an Olympic discipline since 2016. Teams from Egypt, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Zambia and Tunisia also took part in this year’s tournament.