Mission to monitor and control political parties : Lucrèce Houéfa Toto takes stock

The Autonomous National Electoral Commission (Cena) has undertaken for a few days, a mission to monitor and control the functioning of political parties. In this context, a delegation from the Cena was on Wednesday, 20 September 2023, in the premises of the Popular Liberation Movement party (Mpl). Opportunity for Lucrèce Houéfa Toto to take stock of the progress made.

In accordance with the provisions of the law establishing the charter of political parties, the Cena is responsible for monitoring and controlling the functioning of political parties, shared with the Directorate of Political Parties and Electoral Affairs (Dppae) of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security. It is in this context that Cena deployed mixed teams made up of executives from both entities, who went to the respective headquarters of political parties (of 15 at 24 September), to collect certain information.

Wednesday 20 last september, the Cena delegation was on the side of Menontin, at the Mpl party headquarters where she spoke for hours with the president of the Ayekotan Expérience Tèbè party and its members. At the end of this meeting, Lucrèce Houéfa Toto, executive of the Cena and member of the delegation took stock of the progress made in the departments of the Atlantic and the Littoral. “We are in charge of the Atlantic and the Coast. We are on our 3rd day of mission. We had a good harvest. We have visited more than twenty departmental and national headquarters of political parties and we can say that the results are good and satisfactory.. They received us and answered our questions as they should”, she declared. To believe it, this mission responds to the texts in force regarding the management of political parties in Benin in particular, the charter of political parties. “This charter instructs the Cena to monitor political parties. It is in this sense that we are on the ground to verify the functional existence of political parties”, she adds before reassuring that there will be no consequences after this mission. “It is rather a means that the Cena found to help political parties,  and to make them aware of what the texts say and how they must update themselves vis-à-vis the institutions”, she reassured.

The expectations of the President Experience Tèbè…

“There was more fear than harm. The visit took place in an atmosphere of conviviality”, rejoiced the president Experience Tèbè. He took this opportunity to make some observations and make recommendations. “We would have liked the 12 (political parties) who make the effort to exist and participate in the electoral events in our country, are accompanied on the occasion of this financing that the State puts in place for political parties. (…) If we want more vivacity for our democracy, if we want plural expression in our democracy that we are trying to build, it would be good if the State found the formula to support those who exist and who make the effort to exist, so that they can also in turn try to fulfill the commitments we made by creating this political formation (…)», he suggested.

Patrice ADJAHO