Benin's Democracy Continues Its Downward Spiral

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Benin has been something of a poster child for African democracy following its move away from Marxism-Leninism after the collapse of the Soviet Union. No longer.

On paper, Benin is a constitutional democracy conducted according to the rule of law. But since Patrice Talon was elected in 2016, the president has systematically squeezed the substance out of the democratic and constitutional forms, leaving only a shell. Over time, Talon has intimidated or banned the opposition, politicized the security services and the judiciary, and limited the media. Freedom House has charted the downward spiral: between 2019 and 2020 it lost its status as a "free" country.

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