Standing Committees of Beninese Parliament: Deputies to Convene on July 17
Louis Gbèhounou Vlavonou. Image from Twitter/@LesPharaons1
The Speaker of the Beninese parliament, Louis Gbèhounou Vlavonou, has summoned the deputies of the 9th legislature to convene on Monday, July 17, 2023, at the Palace of the Governors in Porto-Novo, it has been reported. This summons is for the 2nd extraordinary session of the National Assembly for the year 2023, as announced in a press release by the Administrative Secretary General of the parliamentary institution on July 14, 2023.
The press release outlines two main items on the agenda. Firstly, there will be an election to appoint secretaries for the offices of the permanent committees of the parliamentary institution. Secondly, representatives of the National Assembly of Benin will be designated to serve in regional Parliaments such as the Pan-African Parliament, ECOWAS Parliament, CIP UEMOA, as well as other institutions of the Republic such as the High Court of Justice, Personal Data Protection Authority, and Benin Commission for Human Rights.
It is important to note that in decision DCC 23-215 issued on July 13, 2023, the Constitutional Court, under the leadership of Professor Dorothée Sossa, has called on the parliamentary group “Les Démocrates” to appoint their representatives for the remaining vacant secretary positions no later than July 20, 2023. Following this deadline, the Republican Bloc (BR) and the Progressive Union Le Renouveau (UP le Renouveau) are required to fill the remaining vacant positions by July 27, 2023.
During the plenary session on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, the deputies from the party “Les Démocrates” rejected the report of the Law Commission, which proposed a rule of three to fill positions in each of the regional parliaments. However, with recent developments, particularly decision DCC 23-215 issued on July 13, 2023, it remains to be seen whether the party led by Honorable Eric Houédété will continue to pursue the policy of the empty chair. The actions of these deputies from the party “Les Démocrates” in the Hemicycle on Monday, July 17, 2023, will shed more light on their stance.
