Rights
1990 Constitution with a Cour constitutionnelle that individuals may petition directly
The Constitution of 11 December 1990 emerged from the 1990 Conférence nationale, the model later copied across francophone Africa. Its Cour constitutionnelle is unusually accessible: any citizen may petition it directly over a rights violation, and it has struck down presidential acts. A 2019 revision extended terms and altered eligibility.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Cour constitutionnelle rules on constitutionality and electoral disputes; the Cour suprême heads the ordinary courts.
- Deadline — Direct citizen petition to the Cour constitutionnelle: no filing fee and no lawyer required
- Deadline — Constitutional review of a law before promulgation: 15 days for the Court to rule
Governing law
- Constitution du 11 décembre 1990
- Loi n° 2019-40 du 7 novembre 2019 portant révision de la Constitution
- Loi organique n° 91-009 sur la Cour constitutionnelle
In practice
Benin's 1990 Conférence nationale souveraine ended the Marxist-Leninist Kérékou state and produced a constitution whose distinctive feature is standing: Article 122 lets any citizen challenge a law or administrative act directly before the Cour constitutionnelle, without counsel. That has made the Court a genuine actor rather than an abstract reviewer, though the 2019 revision and the exclusion of leading opposition candidates from subsequent elections have drawn sustained criticism.