The 120 observers sent to monitor the voting process for the presidential election of April 12, 2026, in the Republic of Benin, on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), were briefed this Friday, April 10, 2026, in Cotonou, on the political situation and security challenges in Benin. During this session, they also received training on appropriate conduct in the field, as well as on the means and methods of observation and data collection during their mission.
This briefing session took place in the presence of H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, former President of Ghana and Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission for the presidential election in Benin. He was accompanied by ECOWAS Commissioner Abdel Fatau Musah, in charge of Political Affairs, Peace and Security; H.E. Amadou Diongue, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Benin; H.E. Dimban Lene, Representative of the Ambassadors of ECOWAS Member States accredited to Nigeria; and the Honorable Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of this session, President Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated the importance of election observation in Africa. He stated that while observing presidential elections may seem like a simple gesture, it is a valuable tool for improving the quality of elections. “Observers help strengthen public confidence in the integrity of electoral processes. Observation can help promote and protect the civil and political rights of voters during elections. It can help correct errors or flawed practices, even during the electoral process. It can deter manipulation and fraud, or bring such problems to light should they occur, ” added the Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission.
On April 9, 2026, H.E. Nana AKUFFO-ADDO, Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, accompanied by Commissioner Abdel Fatau MUSAH, Ambassadors Amadou DIONGUE and Dimban LENE, and staff from the ECOWAS Commission, met and exchanged views in Cotonou with key stakeholders involved in organizing the presidential election of April 12, 2026, in the Republic of Benin. At the National Autonomous Electoral Commission (CENA), discussions with President Saka LAFIA allowed the ECOWAS EOM to gain a better understanding of the ongoing process, the status of the deployment of electoral materials, the management of polling centers and offices, and the security measures taken to address the operations.
At the Constitutional Court, President Nana Akufo-Addo and his entourage held discussions with President Dorothé Sossa, whose role is to verify the regularity and credibility of the electoral operations and to proclaim the final results of the presidential election. Later that day, discussions with President Edouard Loko and the advisors of the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) allowed the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission delegation to gain a better understanding of the institution’s efforts to monitor and regulate information disseminated by the media regarding the electoral campaign and voting operations.
According to statistics from the National Autonomous Electoral Commission (CENA), 7,834,608 voters are registered nationally and 62,679 abroad, for a total of 7,897,287 registered voters and 17,350 polling stations have been selected nationally and 112 for the diaspora (covering 10 countries), for a total of 17,462 polling stations, are planned for the presidential election of April 12, 2026.
As a reminder, the deployment of these observers was approved by His Excellency Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, in accordance with the provisions of the 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. They are tasked with observing the presidential election and drafting a report, including a preliminary statement on the election results that must accurately reflect what was observed on election day, the process leading up to election day, as well as the counting and proclamation of the election results from the various polling stations and centers.
