Benin’s main opposition party, Les Democrats, on Thursday, rejected the results of Sunday’s parliamentary election, claiming allies of President Patrice Talon indulged in vote buying and fraud to win a majority of legislature seats, reported The BBC.
According to preliminary voting results announced on Wednesday, Pro-Talon Republican Bloc and Progressive Union for Renewal parties together won 81 seats in the 109-member parliament with opposition Democrats gaining 28 seats. None of the remaining four parties competing for the 109 seats gathered enough votes to meet the 10 percent threshold for parliamentary representation.
Benin’s electoral commission said voter turnout in the polls was a low 38.66 percent, despite analysts predicting it would be higher considering more number of parties involved in the election. Election observers from the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS declared that the vote went ahead peacefully and was in line with the regulations.
During a press conference on Thursday, the Democrats party leader Eric Houndete accused two pro-government parties of flagrant ballot box stuffing, rigging, and vote buying, without providing any immediate evidence.
“The Democrats party rejects this result, which does not reflect the will of the people to make our party the first political force in our country,” Houndete said.
He said the count attributed to the Siamese parties (the two pro-Talon parties) could only be achieved through the schemes put in place to distort the democratic game.
The election marked the return of the opposition to parliament in the West African nation, following a four-year absence and for the first time since Talon came to power in 2016. In 2019, opposition parties were effectively barred from participating in a legislative ballot due to stricter election rules, resulting in a parliament dominated by Talon supporters.
Final results are expected to be released on Friday by Benin’s National Electoral Commission (CENA).
