Cotonou, January 19 – In a significant shift in Benin’s political landscape, the opposition has been shut out entirely from the National Assembly following the recent parliamentary elections. Provisional results released over the weekend reveal that two parties aligned with President Patrice Talon have secured full control of the assembly, raising concerns about the future of political plurality in the nation.
The elections, which took place on January 11, occurred shortly after a failed coup attempt against Talon, and ahead of a presidential election scheduled for three months from now, marking the end of his ten-year leadership. The Progressive Union for Renewal emerged as the dominant party, winning 60 out of 109 seats, after garnering 41.15% of the votes. Meanwhile, the Republican Bloc secured 49 seats with 36.64% of the vote.
The main opposition party, the Democrats, faced a devastating setback, receiving 16.14% of the vote – not enough to meet the new 20% threshold for parliamentary representation which was raised from 10% due to electoral reforms instituted in 2024. This marks a dramatic drop for the Democrats, who previously held over 20 seats in parliament.
Analysts, including Consultancy Signal Risk, have noted that the results deepen political exclusion, limiting institutional checks on President Talon’s administration. Nadin Kokode, a member of the Democrats, criticized the election as a systematic attempt by pro-Talon parties to marginalize opposition voices. He cited numerous electoral irregularities such as late openings of polling stations, inadequate voting equipment, and the exclusion of party supervisors from the counting process.
The electoral commission, while reporting minor logistic challenges, stated that any incidents were swiftly handled, citing a voter turnout of 36.73%.
As the country moves closer to the presidential elections, the political dynamics are likely to evolve further, leaving citizens and observers eager to see how these developments will shape governance in Benin in the years to come.