Benin senate opens its first official sitting in Cotonou
The members of Benin’s upper parliamentary chamber gathered in Cotonou on Tuesday 15 September 2026 for their very first formal plenary sitting, held at the provisional seat of the institution.
Benin’s new senate meets for the first time
With senate president Patrice Talon steering the proceedings, the senators came together to put in place the organisational foundations the young republican institution needs in order to function smoothly.
A rulebook to launch the institution
The inaugural agenda revolves around a single priority: reviewing and approving the senate’s administrative and financial regulations. Once adopted, this cornerstone text is expected to define the chamber’s internal governance, set out how its resources are to be managed and clear the path towards the formal installation of the general secretariat.
From a transitional team to a permanent secretariat
That step will bring to an end the interim arrangement put in place on 8 September, when administrator Édouard Ouin-Ouro was handed the task of running the institution on a temporary basis.
Two former heads of state stay away
The sitting will nonetheless be remembered for who is missing from the room. Two heavyweight figures of national political life — former presidents of the republic who sit in the upper house as members by right — will not take part in Tuesday’s deliberations.
Health reasons behind the absences
Nicéphore Soglo and Thomas Boni Yayi are both staying away, with health cited as the reason for their non-attendance.
