COTONOU (Realist English). Parties aligned with President Patrice Talon have won full control of Benin’s National Assembly following legislative elections, according to provisional results released by the electoral commission.
Officials said late Saturday that of the five parties contesting the January 11 vote, only two — the Progressive Union for Renewal and the Republican Bloc — secured seats. Both parties are part of Talon’s ruling alliance. The Progressive Union for Renewal is set to hold 60 seats, while the Republican Bloc will control the remaining 49 seats in the 109-member legislature.
Under Benin’s revised electoral code, parties must secure at least 20% of the national vote and 20% in each of the country’s 24 electoral districts to qualify for seat allocation. The main opposition party, The Democrats, won around 16% of the vote and failed to meet the threshold, leaving it without parliamentary representation.
The outcome consolidates the ruling bloc’s dominance ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April. Talon, 67, who has governed Benin for the past decade, is barred from seeking another term under existing term limits. His chosen successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is widely expected to run.
The Democrats have also been excluded from the presidential race after failing to gather the required number of endorsements, a rule that similarly prevented them from participating in local elections held alongside the legislative vote.
“These results confirm the struggle that our party has been waging for about two years,” said Guy Mitokpe, a spokesperson for The Democrats, according to the Associated Press. He described the electoral framework as “exclusionary” and heavily tilted in favour of parties aligned with the president.
Voter turnout stood at 36.7%, election officials said, broadly in line with the 37% recorded in the 2023 legislative elections, underscoring persistent voter apathy amid tightening political competition.
The vote took place just weeks after authorities said they had foiled a short-lived military coup attempt on December 7 aimed at toppling Talon. In November, Benin adopted a constitutional reform extending the presidential term to seven years while maintaining a two-term limit, a change that will shape the country’s political landscape beyond the upcoming transition.
