Bénin deputies entrust ombudsman role to CES first vice-president

On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, during a plenary session at the Palais des Gouverneurs, deputies of the 10th legislature reviewed and adopted a bill amending the law on the Republic’s Ombudsman (Law No. 2009-22 of January 3, 2014). This reform eliminates the separate appointment process, thereby streamlining the operation of state bodies.

Under the new arrangement, the duties of this conciliation institution automatically transfer to the first vice-president of the Economic and Social Council (CES). Given the CES’s current composition, that responsibility now lies with Razacki Amouda Issifou. He will thus combine his existing role as first vice-president of the advisory body with his new Ombudsman functions.

Issifou enters this role as a seasoned jurist with extensive experience at the highest levels of the state. He has marked Bénin’s public life by successively serving as vice-president and then president of the Constitutional Court. His career also includes leading the prestigious Law Commission at the National Assembly.

Further, he served as the first secretary general of the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) in 1996, held the position of mayor from 2010 to 2015, and occupied several strategic director posts within the Ministry of Justice. This deep knowledge of administrative and constitutional mechanisms is a major asset for guiding the new Ombudsman format.

By Claire Mvondo — Security and State Policy Expert