Cotonou, 20 May, 2022 / 9:21 pm (ACI Africa).
Catholic Bishops in Benin are calling on stakeholders in the organization of legislative elections in the country to ensure that the polls are “free, transparent, truly inclusive and peaceful.”
In a collective statement, the members of the Episcopal Conference of Benin (CEB) who concluded their three-day meeting Thursday, May 19 have acknowledged with appreciation the “many efforts made daily by the Government to ensure the security and defense of the integrity of the national territory.”
“We, the Catholic Bishops in Benin sound the alarm and invite the political actors, the institutions of the Republic involved in various ways in the organization of the elections, and all men and women of good will to put the supreme interest of the nation above all else, by taking all the necessary measures to guarantee free, transparent, truly inclusive and peaceful elections,” CEB members say about legislative elections scheduled to take place on 8 January 2023.
They thank the political and administrative authorities for the various initiatives underway “to address the soaring prices of basic necessities,” and encourage them to “speed up the implementation of the decisions taken, so that the elections be successful.”
CEB members also urge politicians to take other complementary social measures to alleviate the suffering of the population.