By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The National Assembly of Bénin has approved a significant amendment to the country’s Constitution, increasing the presidential term from five to seven years and establishing a bicameral parliament.
In a Facebook post shared on Saturday by the Assemblée Nationale du Bénin, lawmakers said the bill was passed during a plenary session held on Friday at the Palace of the Governors in Porto-Novo.
The post, originally published in French, was translated by The Punch Online using Google Translate.
According to the Assembly, 90 deputies voted in favour while 19 opposed the measure, officially amending the Constitution of 11 December 1990, which had been revised previously in 2019.
“The Deputies of the 9th Legislature… adopted by 90 votes for and 19 against, the law modifying the Constitution of the Republic of Bénin,” the statement read.
The legislative body explained that, in line with Article 154, the amendment first needed to achieve a three-quarters majority in a preliminary vote. Deputies met the requirement with 87 votes for and 22 against before proceeding to the final secret ballot.
According to the Assembly’s breakdown, 15 new articles were created while 18 existing articles were amended.
Among the most notable changes is the newly revised Article 42, which now reads: “The President of the Republic is elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of seven years, renewable only once. No one may, in his or her lifetime, serve more than two terms as President of the Republic.”
The amendment also introduces a bicameral legislative system. Updated Article 79 grants legislative powers and oversight to both the National Assembly and a newly established Senate.
“Beyond this major change, Parliament—under the amended Article 79—exercises legislative power and oversees government action. It is now composed of two chambers: the National Assembly and the Senate,” the Assembly explained.
Article 80 now stipulates that deputies’ terms are seven years, renewable. It also includes a clause that any deputy who resigns from the political party that sponsored them during legislative elections automatically loses their mandate.
“The term of office for deputies is 7 years, renewable. Any deputy who resigns and thereby ceases to be a member of the party that sponsored them for the legislative election loses their mandate,” the Assembly added.
Article 113.1 defines the Senate as a body responsible for regulating political life and safeguarding “national unity, development, territorial defence, public security, democracy, and peace.”
Additionally, the law extends the terms of mayors and municipal councillors to seven years, renewable.