Benin’s Constitutional Court has rejected an appeal by the opposition Democrats Party, effectively excluding it from the 2026 presidential election.

The court upheld the electoral commission’s decision to invalidate the party’s two candidate duos, ruling that the commission’s provisional list did not breach the constitution or the electoral code.

This decision marks a major setback for former President Boni Yayi’s party, which had contested the legality of its exclusion from the upcoming polls.