Benin’s former President, Thomas Boni Yayi, on Thursday, called out for suspension of the controversial parliamentary elections in which opposition parties are unable to take part. Benin is set to go on polls on April 28 but changes to the electoral code have turned out to be a de-facto bar for opposition parties.
Yayi, who held the post of the President from 2006 till 2016, held a rare press conference demanding his successor, Patrice Talon, to halt the upcoming polls.
“I invite him to take the full measure of the seriousness of the present situation… and stop the electoral process under way,” Yayi told reporters during the press conference, reported The Citizen.
In line with the new electoral laws, only two parties, both allied to Talon, have been able to meet tougher administrative requirements for candidates. Five other parties have been unable to follow suit. which means the opposition will not take part in a legislative poll.
Yayi asserted that there can be no legislative election without the opposition. He went on to urge the public to come together for the sake of the nation and demand an inclusive parliament to guarantee stability and peace.
Meanwhile, the coalition of opposition political parties in the Republic of Benin on raised the alarm over alleged growing political tension. The opposition parties claimed persecution of politicians as opposed to the ruling government in the country.
Mr. Jean Adèkambi, one of the leaders of the coalition, claimed President Patrice Talon has dissolved all political parties and created only two new parties. He said that the move was aimed at preventing opposition parties from participating in the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the country.
He called on the government and the people of Nigeria to prevail on President Patrice Talon to revert to status quo by allowing all the political parties to participate in the forthcoming election or postpone the election to give room for equal participation.
