National Assembly of Benin: The Democrats announce the color

They took advantage of the installation of the deputies of the 9^th legislature this sunday 12 February 2023 to be heard. The Democrats in their declaration of formation of their caucus, without concession overwhelmed the power of Patrice Talon and certain institutions of the Republic.

Find here the full statement read by Nourenou Atchadé.

Mr. President of the office of the National Assembly,

Dear colleagues of the 9th legislature

Distinguished guests

ladies

gentlemen,

A new page in the history of our country is being written today, Sunday 12 February 2023.

Finally ! Yes finally ! Could we say !

Because now another story will be heard in the hemicycle.

Another story that will reflect the aspirations of the sovereign people and raise their voices contrary to what we have experienced in our dear country for four (04) years.

But beyond these four years, it is since the advent of the regime known as the rupture in 2016 that the sky seems to fall on our heads, the head of Beninese men and women.

Indeed, for almost seven (07) years, Kaba's country, of Toffa, of Béhanzin and Bio Guerra has seen the beautiful pages of its democratic journey started since the historic National Conference of Living Forces in February 1990, torn, burned and even buried. In addition, misery, become endemic, is experienced with great difficulty by our fellow citizens who carry it as their cross. This cross, these are the violated freedoms, desacralized, unraveled, trivialized and weakened.

They have become the mop on which the power of cunning and rage and all its toxic secretions cheerfully wipe their feet., daily, since april 2016.

From now on, we must raise our voices more to proclaim loud and clear the evil to which the people are subjected. Here, it is the ideal place to work on correcting the situation. It is more than ever the time to play the role of elected of the people which is ours, to eradicate from our country the unhealthy practices depriving of freedom and democracy.

Dear colleagues

ladies

gentlemen

It is no secret that our country Benin is going from bad to worse.

It is all the people of Benin who live in misery because of economic misgovernance., political and social.

Poor economic governance

Keeping quiet and remaining inactive would be suicidal for the whole Nation. Nowadays, several evils undermine our common homeland. Among these, mismanagement occupies a prominent place. The Beninese market is shrinking day by day to the benefit of neighboring countries. The vital sectors of our economy being jealously held by a small number of economic operators subservient to power. The cash crops that once made farmers survive are now heavily taxed and their supply chains disorganized. Such is the case with soy, cashew nuts and shea.

Bad political governance

Since 2016, electoral governance consisted of various maneuvers hatched, either by the monocolored parliament of the 8th legislature which, nightly and clandestinely, amended at the pleasure of the executive, the Constitution, by fraudulently introducing sponsorship ; either by the governors themselves who asked for and obtained from this same legislature, proofreading texts during the election period.

So, the CENA has become an institution in the pay of power in defiance of the rules on which its existence is based. We have experienced the mistakes of the CENA TIANDO with its minor faults and subsequently the CENA SACCA Lafia with the obsolete electoral documents, the Constitutional Court of DJOGBENOU which invented in the middle of the electoral process and in defiance of community rules, the certificate of conformity, piece that favored the emergence of a one-color assembly in our country. And as if all this wasn't enough, it is the AMOUDA court which, by inappropriate and refutable arguments, refuses to order the CENA to return to the party THE DEMOCRATS, the electoral documents he needs for electoral transparency on the pretext that these requested documents should have been received by our representatives in the various polling stations when it has been proven to him that these documents were insufficient in number compared to the number of parties in competition. Without forgetting also the will of the agents of the CENA on the ground to discriminate against our party.

It is clear that these two institutions, namely the CENA and the Constitutional Court have joined forces to obstruct the manifestation of the truth and especially the electoral transparency of which they are the guarantors.

It is important to point out the ballot box stuffing organized against the background of the intimidation that has been going on in our country since 2019. It is not uncommon to hear "it is we who are in power nothing will happen". I am sad to say that several colleagues here are the fruit of this practice which does not honor our country.. We must join forces to fight it because we do not know who will be the victim tomorrow.

Bad social governance

The so-called rupture regime is a material and materialistic regime, which has not put people at the heart of its governance. Social measures are only incantations and chimeras. Like me, you see the galloping high cost of living without adequate measures to alleviate the suffering of populations..

Taxes are savagely raised and asphyxiate populations, farmers being heavily indebted due to the tax on certain agricultural products, in particular soybeans, shea and cashew. The purchasing power of Beninese, in this case that of Beninese civil servants, is completely altered, freedom of association confiscated.

Dear colleagues

ladies

gentlemen

Immediate and concerted action towards the government to correct the disorganization of the soybean sector in our country is essential.. I know, as far as we are, especially those coming from the producing areas of this product, we made this commitment to the populations during the electoral campaign. It is inconceivable that Togo, neighboring country gives better prices to its producers than Benin while we sell on the same international market.

THE PEACE

Dear colleagues

ladies

gentlemen

The desire to reign unchallenged as in an autocratic regime led the so-called government of the rupture to vassalize the institutions of the Republic. Parliament was not left out. She has greatly contributed to bringing democracy to its knees in our country.. Personal laws were made to normalize abnormal situations : I want proof, the digital code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the right to strike, the creation of CRIET, employment law, the law on decentralization, the Electoral Code, the revised Constitution and I gladly forget.

Dear colleagues,

ladies

gentlemen

Who among us is happy to see Reckya MADOUGOU in prison for twenty (20) years ? Distant from her children and unable to give them the education she would have wanted for them despite Opinion No. 51/2022 of the 08 November 2022 of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Council which establishes that the deprivation of Reckya MADOUGOU is arbitrary. This rising star who was the pride of Benin, our country, internationally.

Who could be satisfied with the fate of Professor Joël AÏVO condemned to 10 years in prison ? Non ! I don't think the place of this brilliant young academic who is a role model for young people, either in jail.

Who here and elsewhere does not know that it was the political intrigues that led to these deprivations of liberty ?

The case of these two personalities Reckya MADOUGOU and Joël AÏVO is quite representative of the case of the hundreds of compatriots who are still languishing in our prisons because of the non-inclusive elections organized in recent years in our country..

I am convinced that we will work together for their release.

You have certainly not forgotten these appalling images of Cadjèhoun broadcast in May 2019 on all the major television channels in the world, Beninese soldiers firing live ammunition at their compatriots with their bare hands. The case of Madame AMOUSSOU, coldly shot in her neighborhood but later declared, died of malaria by well-sworn agents.

The Kandi Killings, Note that “Knowing and better acting” is intended to be the forum that provides the right information to workers and equips them with the content of the laws., of Saviour, of Tchaourou and Bantè remain forever etched in the minds and minds of Beninese citizens. Pendant 52 days and 52 nights, President Dr Boni YAYI was kept prisoner in his own residence, without visitation rights whatsoever. This man who without respite, served his country throughout his career and moreover President of the Republic for ten years. So you see, how Benin once a haven of peace and cradle of democracy in Africa, fell to a very low level.

We have a duty to speak with the Head of State who is the father of the Nation, for a measure of immediate release of our compatriots in difficult situation, for the return to the fold of our exiles, the most emblematic of which are Komi KOUTCHÉ, Sebastien Germain AJAVON, AGOSSOU BY VALENTIN DJENONTIN, Léhady Vinagnon SOGLO, Simple CODE, Amisetou AFFO DJOBO, Fatouma AMADOU DJIBRIL and many more…

The Nation needs all its sons and all its daughters to build itself.

In this respect it will be question of the creation that we consider more than opportune, a national reconciliation and forgiveness committee.

Dear colleagues

ladies

gentlemen

My part, the party Les Démocrates strongly welcomes the reform which has favored the entry of 28 women in parliament on behalf of this 9th legislature.

Does this mean that we would only have 4 women if the reform was not made ? I leave the question to the reflection of the political parties.

I invite the Head of State to reach at least the bar of 40 percent of women in his next government.

A sincere congratulations to the women of the 9th legislature.

The DEMOCRATES party is an opposition party to the governance of President Patrice TALON.

We deputies signatories of this declaration are of the opposition and of the parliamentary minority.

We intend to fully play our role : pass the laws that we deem necessary for the well-being of the populations. We will monitor government actions for transparency and good governance.

This is why our parliamentary group deplores and condemns the reform which allows the government to sign credit agreements without first obtaining the authorization of the national representation.. This legendary prerogative of parliament cannot be sold off by the representatives of the people unless we are not.. I invite us to work together for the return of this procedure to the bosom of parliament

Dear colleagues

ladies

gentlemen

We are all Beninese, we are supposed to work for the happiness of Beninese. This is the reason why from this rostrum I would like to solemnly say that the mechanical majority which is that of today cannot put up with an absolute superiority complex nor claim the right to think that she alone holds the truth and that she must always be right about today's minority that we are. So we have to be constantly listening to each other..

I therefore wish to be able to count on the President of our National Assembly, this high place of representation of the Sovereign People whose interests we have a duty to defend.

To finish, the parliamentary group that I have the great honor of leading is called THE DEMOCRATES and is made up of twenty-eight (28) signatory members of this declaration.

God bless Benin

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