The president of the tiny cotton-producing West African state of Benin has named a new Cabinet, eliminating the post of Prime Minister, three days after he dissolved his entire government in a surprise move on Friday (August 9).
President Boni Yayi said the decision not to reappoint or replace Pascal Koupaki as premier and name a 26-strong Cabinet was intended “to breathe a new dynamic” into the government. But speculation has been rife for almost a year that Koupaki, who is widely viewed as a top contender for the presidency in elections set for 2016, had fallen out of favour with the president. Neither man has publicly commented.
A statement read on state television on Sunday night detailed the 26-member team composed of 13 new members and 13 officials who served in Koupaki’s old government.
The posts of Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs have been eliminated, according to the statement. Other notable departures include the justice and the interior ministers, who were both replaced.
Benin, situated to the west of Nigeria, has enjoyed two decades of political stability since multi-party democracy was restored. Yayi won the last election with an outright majority in the first round.
Yayi has said he wants to amend parts of the constitution to introduce bodies like an independent election commission and a court to oversee state audits. He has pledged not to pursue any amendment that allows him to stand for a third term. Critics suspect his camp has not ruled out this idea.
