BENIN HEADS TO CRUCIAL PARLIAMENTARY, LOCAL ELECTIONS AFTER FAILED COUP
One month after an attempted coup unsettled Benin, the West African nation is set to hold parliamentary and local elections on Sunday, contests expected to shape the country’s political direction ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April.
President Patrice Talon’s ruling coalition is widely expected to strengthen its hold on power, as the main opposition Democrats party has been barred from participating in the local elections and the forthcoming presidential race after failing to secure the required number of endorsement signatures.
While the Democrats will take part in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the party faces the prospect of losing more ground to Talon’s three-party alliance, which currently holds 81 of the 109 seats in the National Assembly.
The elections come at a particularly tense period for the country, which is still grappling with the aftermath of a failed coup attempt by army mutineers on December 7. The uprising was swiftly suppressed by loyalist forces, with support from Nigeria and France, restoring calm within hours.
