The Economic Community of West African States has deployed 40 observers ahead of the legislative elections on January 8, 2023 in Benin to support and monitor the entire electoral process.
The observers were deployed on Friday from Cotonou, Republic of Benin to the capitals of the 12 regions of the country.
In a statement made available to our correspondent on Saturday, the deployment was part of ECOWAS’ electoral support for member states by the commission’s chairman, Dr. Omar Touray.
The observers came from the foreign ministries of ECOWAS member states, electoral commissions, the ECOWAS Council of Wise Men, the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, civil society organizations, the media and electoral experts in the region.
At the pre-deployment briefing, the Resident Representative of the ECOWAS Commission Chairman in the Republic of Benin, Amadou Diongue, during his opening remarks, stressed that ECOWAS electoral assistance to its member states finds its justification in the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy. and Good Governance Act 2001 and the commitment of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Authority to the timely deployment of pre-election and observation missions to member states organizing elections.
While thanking the observers for their sacrifices to participate in the mission, the Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Observation Mission to the legislative election in Benin, HE Raimundo Pereira, former President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, emphasized that the presence of the observers was very important for the electoral process. He added that his mission in Benin is to ensure that the process is transparent, peaceful and inclusive.
In his consultations prior to the commitment, President Pereira, head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission, visited the Ministry of the Interior and Security, the Constitutional Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the High Authority of Communication and Audiovisuals to carry out consultations for assess the level of readiness. for the election
ECOWAS has extended its support for the democratic process in Benin and has said it is committed to accompanying the government and the people of the Republic of Benin through the legislative elections.
