Since the advent of democratic renewal in Benin, no elected president has come from a political party. With three years left until the 2026 presidential election, Irénée Agossa fervently hopes that the next president will be a political actor.
Will President Patrice Talon’s ongoing reform of the party system lead to the election of a President who represents a political party’s ideology in 2026? This question concerns Irénée Agossa, a member of the political party Union Progressiste Le Renouveau.
According to the former director of the former SONACOP, if President Patrice Talon’s successor does not come from a political party, the reform of the party system would have failed. The political actor argues for the decline of strong individuals in favor of strong political parties capable of producing leaders who can carry forward their vision.
He reminds that the President’s vision, in initiating and supporting the party system reform, is to allow the consolidation of political parties into strong entities that will promote the country’s development. Irénée Agossa calls for debate within political parties so that individuals no longer dominate parties but rather that parties become stronger in proposing agents of change.
“We need strong institutions, and political parties need to become institutions that produce leaders, capable individuals who can drive development,” he asserts.
