(Cotonou) President Patrice Talon’s camp has won the majority of seats in parliament, the country’s Constitutional Court said on Thursday, in a vote marking the return of the opposition after a four-year absence.
The presidential parties, the Republican Bloc (BR) and the Progressive Union for Renewal (UP-R) won 81 of the 109 seats in parliament, said Razaki Amouda Issifou, president of the Constitutional Court.
The main opposition party The Democrats for its part obtained 28 deputies at the end of the election which took place on Sunday with a participation rate of 37.79%, according to the Constitutional Court.
Earlier Thursday, Democratic Leader Eric Houndete dismissed the interim results, citing ballot stuffing, rigging and “flagrant” vote-buying by the two main pro-government parties, but did not immediately provide evidence.
“The Democratic Party rejects these results, which do not reflect the will of the people to make us the first political force in the country,” Mr. Houndete had already declared.
The results can be contested for a period of 10 days after the official announcement of the results.
The poll, which took place peacefully last Sunday, served as a key test for this small West African country, once seen as a model of democracy.
If supporters of President Talon, a wealthy businessman elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2021, believe that he has promoted economic development, his opponents accuse him of having rolled back democracy, his main opponents having been either imprisoned or forced into exile.
This election also marked the return of the opposition to parliament after four years of absence, because it had not been able to participate in the previous legislative elections due to a tightening of the voting rules by the government.
An observation mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ruled that Sunday’s poll had taken place peacefully and in accordance with the rules in force.
The last legislative elections organized in 2019 were marked by deadly violence, record abstention (more than 70%) and a total shutdown of the internet, extremely rare events in Benin.
The return to parliament is important for the opposition in the run-up to the 2026 presidential election, where candidates will have to be supported by parliamentarians to be registered.