Reforming the Electoral System of the Republic of Benin in the 2020s

Relevance. Presidential elections in the Republic of Benin are scheduled for April 2026. Against this background, certain institutional adjustments took place. Back in 2018, a new legal institution emerged – the Repressive Economic Crimes and Terrorism Court CRIET. And on March 15, 2024, a new electoral code was adopted, amending and supplementing the electoral code of November 15, 2019. The purpose of the study is to analyze the political content of the electoral reform in the modern Republic of Benin. Research objectives: to analyze the formation and development of the political and electoral systems of the Republic of Benin from the moment of independence to the present day; to study of the political and legal support for the reform of the electoral system of the Republic of Benin; to determine the significance of the newly formed judicial body "CRIET" as a political resource for the political elites of the Republic of Benin. Methodology. In solving the research tasks the following methods were used: concrete historical method, method of political and legal analysis, institutional method, comparative method. The results of the study. The institutional features of the upcoming 2026 presidential elections in the Republic of Benin are determined exclusively by two instruments: the new Electoral Code and the CRIET court used to regulate electoral processes. Conclusion. The reasons for updating the Electoral Code on November 15, 2019 and the emergence of the CRIET court are as follows: ensuring stability at the institutional level, ousting political opponents and maintaining power. The political context of the electoral reform in the Republic of Benin is marked by the authorities' tendency to use CRIET as a political resource for the country's political elite.