Benin Republic will on Sunday conduct parliamentary and local government elections, just weeks after a failed coup attempt unsettled the West African nation, in polls expected to influence the political balance ahead of the presidential election slated for April.
The elections come at a politically sensitive time, with President Patrice Talon’s ruling coalition widely expected to strengthen its dominance.
The main opposition party, the Democrats, has been excluded from the local government elections and the forthcoming presidential race after failing to obtain the required number of endorsement signatures.
Although the Democrats are participating in the parliamentary elections, analysts say the party risks losing more seats to Talon’s three-party alliance, which currently holds 81 of the 109 seats in the National Assembly.
The vote follows an attempted coup on December 7, when a group of mutinous soldiers tried to seize power. The plot was foiled within hours by Benin’s armed forces, with support from Nigeria and France.
President Talon, 67, has governed the country for nearly a decade and presided over steady economic growth.
However, opposition figures and civil society groups accuse his administration of restricting political freedoms and weakening opposition voices.
Security concerns are also prominent as voters head to the polls.
Northern Benin has in recent years experienced attacks linked to jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda, spilling over from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Although Talon is constitutionally barred from seeking another term after completing his second five-year tenure, attention has shifted to his preferred successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, who is widely seen as the frontrunner in the April presidential election.
Wadagni is expected to face Paul Hounkpe, a moderate opposition figure from the FCBE party, which has 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 extended the presidential term to seven years while retaining a two-term limit.
Critics argue that the changes, combined with the electoral calendar, will leave the country without nationwide elections for several years.
“This effectively puts democratic freedoms in quarantine,” the Democrats party has warned.
Some political analysts caution that the opposition could lose all its seats under the current electoral framework, which requires parties to secure the support of at least 20 per cent of registered voters in each of Benin’s 24 electoral districts to qualify for parliamentary contests.
“For all but the ruling coalition, the 20 per cent threshold appears almost impossible to meet,” said Beninese political scientist Joel Atayi Guedegbe.
He added that internal divisions have further weakened the Democrats. “The party is not as united or determined as it was during the 2023 elections, when it won 28 seats,” he said.
Human rights groups have also raised concerns ahead of the polls. Amnesty International’s executive director in Benin, Dieudonné Dagbeto, warned that civic space in the country was shrinking.
“We have documented attacks on independent media as well as arbitrary arrests and detention of individuals for expressing dissenting views,” Dagbeto said.
Members of the ruling majority have rejected the allegations, insisting that the government remains committed to democratic principles and the rule of law.
