Benin presidential elections: a benign transition?

As the Beninese people headed to the polls on 11th April, there was little uncertainty as to what the outcome of the 2021 presidential elections would be. Indeed, the electoral commission’s preliminary results released on Tuesday confirmed the reelection of Patrice Talon with 86.36% of the popular vote. While the President expressed his concerns at the alarmingly low participation rate (50.17%), this came with no surprise as the main opposition figures were either barred from running for office, in political exile or refused to campaign.

While this scenario may seem familiar considering the recent weakening of democratic institutions in West Africa, it remains highly symbolic all the same. Indeed, Benin has been a stronghold of multi-party democracy since the 1991 polls saw Mathieu Kérékou become the first West African leader to admit defeat in an election.

Having promised to run for a single mandate in 2016, Talon has taken advantage of Benin’s promising economic growth under his tenure to come back on his initial decision and enact laws constraining the consolidation of opposition parties. Considering Benin’s position as a regional model of political progress, these recent developments will undoubtedly tarnish the development of democracy in West Africa.