Trending 
President Patrice Talon’s ruling coalition won a clean sweep in legislative elections in Benin, eliminating the opposition from parliament and cementing its grip on power ahead of presidential polls, according to provisional results.
Talon’s three-party coalition routed the main opposition Democratic Party in the January 11 elections, thanks to a tough rule requiring parties to secure at least 20 per cent of the nationwide vote to sit in parliament. The Democrats fell shy of that, winning 16 per cent across Benin’s 24 voting districts, according to provisional results released Saturday by the national electoral commission.
The results strengthen the presidential bloc’s hand going into the April presidential elections, in which Talon, who has ruled the West African country for a decade, is likely to transfer power to his hand-picked successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni.
Talon, 67, is barred from standing again by term limits.
The Democrats are barred from standing in the presidential polls after failing to gather enough signatures to register. The same rule sidelined them from local elections that were held alongside the parliamentary polls on January 11.
The two top parties in the ruling coalition, which hold 81 of the 109 seats in the current National Assembly, will now have full control of parliament.
The elections came at a fraught moment for Benin, still reeling from a deadly coup attempt by army mutineers on December 7, which was put down in a matter of hours by the military, with support from Nigeria and France.
Talon has presided over strong economic development in his two terms in power, but critics accuse him of restricting political opposition and basic rights.
