Electoral fee says two events aligned with President Patrice Talon win all 109 seats within the meeting.
Revealed On 18 Jan 2026
President Patrice Talon’s ruling alliance has gained full management of Benin’s Nationwide Meeting in legislative elections, in line with provisional outcomes.
The electoral fee stated on Saturday evening that of the 5 events working within the January 11 vote, solely the Progressive Union for Renewal and the Republican Bloc – each aligned with Talon – gained seats within the meeting.
The Progressive Union for Renewal may have 60 MPs whereas the Republican Bloc may have 49.
Based on a brand new electoral code, a celebration should get hold of 20 p.c of the nationwide vote and 20 p.c in every of the 24 electoral districts to be eligible for seat allocation.
The principle opposition social gathering, The Democrats, gained about 16 p.c of the vote and failed to achieve the edge.
The outcomes strengthen the presidential bloc’s hand going into the presidential election in April, through which 67-year-old Talon, who has dominated the nation for a decade, is barred from standing once more by time period limits.
His handpicked successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is predicted to succeed him. The Democrats, in the meantime, are barred from standing within the presidential polls after failing to assemble sufficient signatures to register.
The identical rule sidelined them from native elections that had been held alongside final week’s legislative polls.
“These outcomes affirm the wrestle that [The Democrats] social gathering has been waging for about two years,” Man Mitokpe, spokesperson for The Democrats, stated, in line with The Related Press information company.
“We denounced this electoral code, saying that it closely favoured events aligned with the president. It’s an exclusionary electoral code. As proof, we gained’t have a candidate within the presidential election, and we had been excluded from the municipal elections.”
Turnout in final weekend’s elections was 36.7 p.c, officers stated, roughly on par with the 37 p.c within the final legislative polls in 2023.
The legislative vote befell weeks after a deadly military coup attempt to overthrow Talon, which lasted a couple of hours on December 7 earlier than authorities introduced it had been foiled.
Underneath a November constitutional reform, the presidential time period was prolonged to seven years with a two-term restrict.
