The Democrats (Benin)
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The Democrats Les Démocrates | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Abbreviation | LD |
| Leader | Thomas Boni Yayi |
| President | Eric Houndété |
| Founder | Thomas Boni Yayi |
| Founded | July 2019[1] |
| Registered | 11 December 2020[1] |
| Split from | Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin |
| Headquarters | Cotonou, Benin |
| Ideology | Social democracy[2][3][4] Democratic socialism[5] Anti-Talon |
| Political position | Centre-left to left-wing |
| International affiliation | Progressive Alliance |
| National Assembly | 0 / 109 |
The Democrats (French: Les Démocrates, LD) is a political party in Benin founded and led by former president Thomas Boni Yayi. Ideologically, the party has been described as left-wing.[6]
The Democrats were founded by former president Thomas Boni Yayi in July 2019, and were registered to the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (ANEC) on 11 December 2020, although the party had no elected officials yet at the time.[1] Ahead of the 2023 Beninese parliamentary election, the party announced its intent to contest the election and called for "an inclusive, free, transparent and peaceful ballot."[a] The party also sought to involve the opposition at all levels of the electoral process.[7]
In the parliamentary election, the Democrats obtained 24.16% of the vote and 28 deputies, marking the return of the opposition to the National Assembly after four years of absence.[8] Eric Houndété, the president of the Democrats, dismissed the results, declaring that "the Democratic Party rejects these results, which do not reflect the will of the people to make us the first political force in the country" and making claims of vote buying and ballot stuffing by the two main pro-government parties.[8]
The party lost all of its seats in the 2026 parliamentary election. It was unable to meet the electoral requirement of 20 percent of total votes in each of the 24 electoral districts. The party's national secretary, Guy Mitokpè, criticized the electoral system, calling it an "exclusionary electoral code" and that it "does not honor the country."[9]
Ideology
The party is described as ideologically left-wing due to its positions on free education, the role of civil society, and free caesarean sections. During the 2021 Beninese presidential election, the Democrats' electoral program sought to invest massively in the Beninese economy in order to fight against poverty and unemployment among young people.[6]
