Benin will organise a referendum for a constitutional review in 2009, President Boni Yayi said Friday in a radio/television nationwide address to celebrate the 48th anniversary of the country’s independence. Yayi said “I am taking the pledge to submit the draft constitution to a referendum from 1 September 2009.” Last February, the president set up a constitution review commission following the several “loopholes”, both in content and form, noticed in the existing constitution which has been in existence for more than 15 years. Attempts to review the constitution in 2006 failed and this has caused agitation within the populace that some basic laws be changed — articles 42 regarding the tenure of the president (five years renewable once), 44 on the age limit and article 80 on the duration of terms of parliamentarians as well as joint polls.
