Overview
- Polling opened calmly in Cotonou at 7am local time and is due to close at 5pm, according to reporters on the ground.
- Roughly 8 million registered voters are choosing 109 National Assembly members and local representatives in single-round contests, with 24 parliamentary seats reserved for women.
- The Democrats were barred from the local ballots and, under a rule requiring at least 20% of registered voters’ support in each of 24 districts, observers say the opposition could lose its 28 seats; a 10% threshold applies to parties with pre‑election agreements.
- Analysts project President Patrice Talon’s three-party bloc will strengthen its majority from the current 81 seats, after a muted campaign that leaned on door-to-door outreach.
- The vote comes one month after a foiled December 7 coup attempt and sets the landscape for the April 12 presidential race, with Talon term-limited and coalition nominee Romuald Wadagni seen as the favorite.