Africa-Press. The party “Force Cauris for a New Benin” (FCBE) has unexpectedly shifted from the opposition to the camp of the elected president.
The party had contested the recent presidential elections with its candidate, Paul Hounkpè, against the elected president Romuald Wadani during the vote on April 12. However, the party’s national council officially decided to withdraw from the opposition as of May 24 and join the majority supporting the new president.
Officials in the party justified this move by citing signed governmental agreements with the two parties forming the presidential majority, asserting that this direction falls within the mechanisms permitted by law. One party leader stated that the opposition “has not provided anything” to the party over the past ten years.
The FCBE party has faced accusations from its opponents for being too close to power, with critics sometimes labeling it as “moderate opposition” or “aligned with the system.”
However, the acting administrative secretary of the party, Prosper Adokouno, denied these accusations, emphasizing that the party has supported certain steps it deemed positive and criticized the government when it believed things were going wrong, stressing that the party has never held ministerial or high governmental positions.
The party indicated that it will soon form a special committee to begin negotiations with the elected president Romuald Wadani regarding the implementation of governance agreements in the upcoming phase.
For its part, the Democratic Party, the leading opposition party in the country, reaffirmed its commitment to clear opposition, announcing that it will engage in “vigilant and constructive opposition” towards the new executive authority.
The party’s administrative secretary, Qamar Osangari, stated that the party will support any developmental initiative that serves the country but will oppose any steps that undermine democratic principles or conflict with shared values.
