By Gift Habib
The Economic Community of West African States, has deployed 40 observers ahead of the January 8, 2023, legislative elections in Benin to support and monitor the entire electoral process.
The observers were deployed on Friday in Cotonou, Republic of Benin to the capitals of the 12 regions of the country.
In a statement made available to our correspondent on Saturday, the deployment was part of the ECOWAS electoral support to member states, by the president of the commission, Dr. Omar Touray.
The observers were drawn from the ministries of foreign affairs of ECOWAS member states, electoral commissions, the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Community Court of justice, civil society organisations, the media and election experts from the region.
At the pre-deployment briefing, the Resident Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission to the Republic of Benin, Amadou Diongue, during his opening remarks, highlighted that the ECOWAS electoral assistance to its member states finds its justification in ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of 2001 and the commitment of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to the timely deployment of pre-electoral and observations missions to member states organising elections.
While thanking the observers for their sacrifices to participate in the mission, the Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to the legislative election in Benin, H.E. Raimundo Pereira, former President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, emphasised that the presence of the observers was very significant to the electoral process. He added that their mission in Benin is to ensure that the process is transparent, peaceful and inclusive.
In his pre-engagement consultations, President Pereira, Head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission, visited the Ministry of Interior and Security, the Constitutional Court, National Independent Electoral Commission, and the High Authority for Communication and Audiovisuals for consultations to assess the level of preparedness for the election.
ECOWAS has extended support to the democratic process in Benin and has said it is committed to accompanying the government and the people of the Republic of Benin through the legislative elections.
Source: The Punch
