Editor’s Note

When you think about authoritarianism, the first image that comes to mind is tanks and military juntas. Patrice Talon challenges that assumption. In the classic tale of the businessman who decided to cosplay as president, Talon quickly understood that a pen can be just as powerful (and destructive) as a weapon. With some constitution rewriting and electoral code modification, 35 opponents became 2 in the span of one electoral cycle. Of course, this level of opposition suppression didn’t go unnoticed, and the Beninese population took it to the streets. Knowing West Africa, Talon knew that it is a matter of time before an uprising becomes a coup d’état. He had to tone it down, prompting the participation of opposition parties in the 2023 parliamentary elections, which were still suppressed in the grand scheme of things. However, that was enough to quell the popular reactions. But at the end of the day: three steps backward and one step forward is still two steps back.