Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD,
AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small
parties) 31
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or
Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy
and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or
PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD;
Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS;
Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of
People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or
NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du
Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile)
[Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]
note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM,
OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: [229] 30-06-50 FAX: [229] 30-06-70
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a
vertical green band on the hoist side
Economy Benin
Economy - overview:
The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on
subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.
Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years,
but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase.
Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to
raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign
investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the
development of new food processing systems and agricultural
products, and encourage new information and communication
technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's
application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for
which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy
continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture
in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral
creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin
benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while
pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be
hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing
list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in
increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.