Benin’s Democratization: The Process And Its Prospects

In 1990,the Benin national conference decided to establish a liberal democracy with effective strength and vitality.The process of democratization in Benin,not only supported by the people of Benin,but also caused widespread concern in the international community.Based on the historical,institutional and political realities,this article will discuss the process of Benin’s democratization and its development trend,and try to solve the main problems in Benin’s democracy and governance.First,this paper introduces the process of democratization in Benin in the historical context.In Pre-Democratic Benin,the regimes changed frequently,accompanied by social turbulent and economic stagnation.The convening of a national conference of the people of Benin brought this country into a new era of democracy.Since then,Benin has established a new constitution and a democratic electoral system,political party competition,the role of civil society and the media has began to play their democratic roles.The orderly conduct of the previous elections in the past 26 years has repeatedly shown that the process of democratization in Benin is a peaceful and effective one.Secondly,the thesis evaluates the current situation of democratic politics in Benin in different perspectives.In the international perspective,the democratization of Benin has been vigorously supported and highly approved by the United Nations,European Union,Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and other liberal democracies.Compared with other African countries,Benin has the advantage of democracy in the supremacy of Parliament,the electoral system and the power alternation,and have been seen by relevant countries as a model to follow.Most importantly,it has been widely acknowledged and supported by the people of Benin.However,the process of democratization in Benin has also been affected by the corruption and the weakening of the opposition parties.Benin’s democratization has been fruitful,but to build a stable democracy it still has a long way to go.Only by adhering to the path of democratization and transforming the advantages of democracy into governance advantages,Benin can achieve a breakthrough in her development.