As he nears the end of his second term in office, Patrice Talon is beginning to outline his vision for his succession to the head of state in 2026.
In an interview with Jeune Afrique, the Beninese president confirmed that he was keeping a close eye on the issue, and that he had a clear idea of the profile of the candidate he would like to succeed him.
“Obviously,” he said when asked about his involvement in the choice of his successor. “The next president of Benin will be my president, the president of my country, my family, my community and everything I hold dear.”
Committed to the reforms undertaken since 2016, Patrice Talon says he is vigilant about the direction future governance will take. He insists on the need to preserve the gains made and not to call into question the transformations carried out under his administration.
It goes without saying that I will be careful to ensure that he does not set out to deconstruct the reforms we have achieved.
For the time being, however, the Beninese president is avoiding naming an official successor, preferring to temporize. “It’s under way”, he declared, stressing that he did not wish to rush things so as not to disrupt ongoing government action.
Asked about the desired profile, Patrice Talon rejected the idea of a successor who would be his “double” or his “photocopy”, believing that such a choice would be a lack of humility.
Ideally, he would be better than me,” he says. For the Head of State, the transformation of Benin into a “serious, respected, successful” nation is the fruit of collective efforts.
He believes that the next president should continue in this vein, and consolidate the progress made over the past decade. It now remains to be seen who will be elected to embody this vision in 2026.