Benin Republic Heads to Parliamentary, Local Elections Amid Political Tension
Benin Republic will on Sunday hold parliamentary and local elections expected to shape the country’s political landscape ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April.
The polls are coming barely one month after a failed coup attempt unsettled the West African nation. On December 7, army mutineers attempted to overthrow the government, but the uprising was swiftly crushed with support from Nigeria and France.
President Patrice Talon’s ruling coalition is widely expected to strengthen its grip on power. The main opposition party, the Democrats, has been barred from participating in the local elections and from contesting the April presidential race after failing to secure the required number of endorsement signatures.
Although the Democrats will take part in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, analysts say the party could lose additional seats to Talon’s three-party coalition, which currently controls 81 of the 109 seats in the National Assembly.
The elections are being held amid heightened political tension, with critics accusing the Talon administration of tightening restrictions on opposition parties and shrinking civic space, despite recording strong economic growth during nearly a decade in office.
Security concerns are also expected to influence voting, particularly in northern Benin, where jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda have carried out cross-border attacks from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
President Talon, 67, is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election after completing two five-year terms. His preferred successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is widely regarded as the frontrunner in the April presidential contest.
Wadagni is expected to face Paul Hounkpe of the FCBE party, a moderate opposition group that has entered cooperation agreements with parties in the ruling coalition. FCBE candidates contesting the parliamentary elections are also expected to align with the ruling bloc if elected.
Under a constitutional amendment passed in November, Benin’s presidential term has been extended to seven years, while the two-term limit remains in place.
Opposition groups have criticised the new electoral timetable, noting that after the legislative and presidential polls, the country will go several years without nationwide elections, a situation they describe as restricting democratic freedoms.
Some analysts warn that the opposition could lose all parliamentary representation under the current electoral law, which requires parties to secure the support of at least 20 per cent of registered voters in each of Benin’s 24 electoral districts.
“For all but the ruling coalition, that threshold appears largely insurmountable,” said political scientist Joel Atayi Guedegbe, who also noted that the Democrats have been weakened by internal divisions.
Ahead of the vote, Amnesty International raised concerns over what it described as a shrinking civic space, citing alleged attacks on independent media and arbitrary arrests of dissenting voices. The ruling majority has rejected the claims.
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