UNDP: Support for the 2016 Presidential Election for Peaceful and Democratic Alternation in Benin
Count of votes at a polling station in the second round of the presidential election (Photo: UNDP Benin)
The Beninese have just elected Mr. Patrice Talon, President of the Republic, for the next five years. This presidential election whose first round took place on March 6 and the second round on March 20, 2016 marks a turning point for Benin’s democracy.
As in the past, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) provided technical and financial support for this presidential election. A team of experts assisted the National Electoral Commission (CENA), the main electoral management body, to implement planning, monitoring and evaluation, training and logistics. UNDP also provided support for the procurement of sensitive materials, including indelible ink (28,000 vials) and secure seals for ballot boxes (390,000), to cover the first and second ballots, all for a total amount of 386 811 730 Fcfa (about 700 000 US dollars).
UNDP also provided financial support to the Electoral Platform of Civil Society Organizations, for the establishment of the electoral watch box, a citizen observation device, which contributed to the holding of a free election, can This support to civil society has strengthened its role in voter education, observation and mediation. The data observed in the field could be analyzed and rapid responses could be made.
To this end, 600 election observers from civil society organizations (CSOs) were trained and deployed independently to observe the election with the support of UNDP. Some 2,450 observers were supported by other partners, including the European Union, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the State Embassy. -United.
In 2015, UNDP had already played an important role in the organization of the parliamentary elections, which made it possible to elect the 83 deputies – including 7 women – serving since May 2015 in the National Assembly, and municipal, communal and municipal elections. This UNDP support to the 2015 election process is estimated at more than 100 million CFA francs, or about US $ 200,000.