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2w ago

Pro-Government Parties Take All 109 Seats in Benin’s Provisional Parliamentary Results

A new 20% threshold sidelined the main opposition under results that still await court validation.

People wait in line to cast their vote at a polling station during the parliamentary election, in Cotonou, Benin, January 11, 2026. REUTERS/Charles Placide Tossou
Image
The electoral commission headquarters in Benin, where the opposition has lost all its seats to President Patrice Talon's powerful ruling bloc in parliamentary elections

Overview

  • Provisional results allocate 60 seats to the Progressive Union for Renewal and 49 to the Republican Bloc, with 41.15% and 36.64% of the vote respectively.
  • The Democrats won 16.14% and failed to meet the 20% national and district thresholds, leaving the National Assembly without opposition representation.
  • Turnout was 36.7% in elections held weeks after a foiled December 7 coup attempt that intensified security sensitivities.
  • The sweep bolsters President Patrice Talon’s camp ahead of April’s presidential vote, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni widely viewed as the favored successor.
  • Opposition figures alleged irregularities and rights groups warned of shrinking civic space, while the electoral commission cited only minor logistical issues.