Opposition loses all seats in Benin election weeks after a thwarted coup, provisional results show

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COTONOU, Benin (AP) — Opposition parties lost all parliamentary seats in an election in Benin weeks after a thwarted coup, according to provisional results announced by the electoral commission.

The legislative vote took place weeks after a deadly military takeover attempting to overthrow President Patrice Talon, which lasted a few hours before authorities announced it had been foiled. It was the latest in a series of recent coups across Africa — most following a similar pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises and youth discontent.

Out of the five parties running in the Benin election, only the Republican Bloc and the Progressive Union for Renewal, both aligned with the president, won seats in the assembly, according to the provisional results announced Saturday evening. The Republican Bloc will have 49 lawmakers, and there will be 60 for the Progressive Union for Renewal.

According to the new electoral code, a party must obtain 20% of the national vote and 20% in each of the 24 electoral districts to be eligible for seat allocation.

The main opposition party, The Democrats, won around 16% of the vote, but failed to reach the 20% threshold and won't have any lawmakers.

“These results confirm the struggle that (The Democrats) party has been waging for about two years," said Guy Mitokpe, the spokesperson for The Democrats. "We denounced this electoral code, saying that it heavily favored parties aligned with the president. It’s an exclusionary electoral code. As proof, we won’t have a candidate in the presidential election, and we were excluded from the municipal elections.”

The voter turnout was 36.73%, the commission said. The results now have to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

Despite a history of coups following its independence from France in 1960, Benin has enjoyed relative calm in the past two decades. The country is set to elect a new president in April, and Talon, 67 is barred from running after a decade in office. His close ally, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is seen as the front-runner to replace him, as the main opposition candidate was barred from running, for failing to meet the required endorsements.

Under Talon's tenure, Benin experienced a period of economic growth, but critics accuse him of clamping down on political opposition and human rights.