Presidential elections were held in

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

on 11 April 2021 to elect the President of the Republic of Benin for a five-year term. Incumbent president

Patrice Talon Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon (born 1 May 1958) is a Beninese politician and businessman who has been President of Benin since 6 April 2016. Early life and career Talon is of Fon origin and was born in Ouidah. He descends from slave trader ...

was re-elected for a second term in office with 86% of the vote.

Background

The

2016 presidential elections This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: K ...

saw the election of

, who won in the second round of voting with nearly double the number of votes than his opponent

Lionel Zinsou Lionel Zinsou (born 23 October 1953) is a French–Beninese economist and investment banker who was Prime Minister of Benin from 2015 to 2016. Since June 2017, he has been the president of Terra Nova, a centre-left French think tank. Early ...

, Prime Minister running under outgoing president Thomas Boni Yayi's

Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin The Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (french: Forces Cauris pour un Bénin émergent, FCBE) is a political party of Benin, formed by supporters of president Yayi Boni. In the parliamentary election held on 31 March 2007, the party won 35 out ...

party. Benin has a reputation for being a stable democracy on the African continent. Upon becoming president, Talon undertook swift economic reforms aimed at liberalization. This provoked protests and strikes in the country and later led to the government tightening regulations on public protests, which led to accusations of

authoritarianism Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voti ...

. In parallel, the president has attempted to combat corruption in the country. During the presidential campaign, Talon highlighted

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...

as one of his key themes, including the introduction of a single presidential term, which he called a "moral requirement". However, this reform was blocked by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, who refused to create the precedent that a president could modify the constitutional terms of his mandate.

Political crisis

The approval and reputation of President Talon were seriously damaged in the wake of the 2019 parliamentary elections, which saw the government democratically backslide by drastically restricting the eligibility of political parties, with only two pro-government parties able to run, excluding any opposition parties. The center-left Progressive Union and the centrist Republican Bloc, the two pro-government parties created for the election, won all the seats in parliament, meaning no opposition movements would have a direct voice in legislative matters. Opposition parties called for a boycott of the election, which led to a record low 23% voter turnout, down from 65% in the previous election. The opposition again accused the president of authoritarianism and called for an end to the vote-counting process and the organization of new elections without success. Two days after the election, Amnesty International released a statement denouncing "the wave of arbitrary arrests of political activists and journalists and the repression of peaceful protests". The election was also marked by a complete

Internet shutdown An Internet outage or Internet blackout or Internet shutdown is the complete or partial failure of the internet services. It can occur due to censorship, cyberattacks, disasters, police or security services actions or errors. Disruptions of subma ...

on the day of the vote, an action criticized by the opposition,

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere. The days following the election involved violent clashes between protesters and security forces, with the latter firing

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

and live ammunition, while protesters burning tires and throwing various objects. Amnesty International denounced the death of four protesters as well as continued arbitrary arrests, which led to the serious injury of another protester. A strong security contingent was deployed on the streets of Cotonou and

Porto-Novo Porto-Novo (Portuguese: "New Port", , ; yo, Àjàṣẹ́, ), also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe, is the capital of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. Situated on an inlet of the Gulf of G ...

leading up to the investiture ceremony for the new Assembly.

Para Commandos Para Commandos may refer to: * Parachute Commando Regiments (Algeria) * Para Commando Brigade (Bangladesh) ** 1st Para-Commando Battalion ** 2nd Para-Commando Battalion * Special Operations Regiment (Belgium) ** 2nd Commando (Paracommando) Bat ...

, anti-riot vehicles, the CRS and units of the

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

were all deployed to maintain order. Nevertheless, a six-month political dialogue process led to an agreement on rules regarding electoral participation. During the 2020 municipal elections, only five political parties were validated by the central election authority, down from 34 parties and alliances in the 2015 municipal elections. The

was the only opposition party to exceed the 10% vote threshold needed for representation. This has led to some international observers questioning the strength of democracy in the country, which had previously been considered one of the more stable in Africa, due to an increasing restrictive and authoritarian bent, a loss of political pluralism, and key political rivals of President Talon either in exile or excluded from political participation.

Preparation for the 2021 elections

As the 2021 elections approached, the incumbent president was seen as theoretically the only person able to run as a candidate. A 2019 revision to the constitution imposed a requirement that candidates need receive the nomination of 10% of the total MPs and mayors (about 16 sponsors). However, 160 of the electoral officials (83 Members of Parliament and 77 mayors) concerned belong to pro-government parties. Only six mayors belonging to the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin make up the opposition, with the party lacking a Member of Parliament. President Talon promised to "do everything" to organize an inclusive, open ballot for his opponents to obtain nomination, a move seen by opposition parties as the president's way to "cherry pick" his challengers. The Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin, as well as the Democrats (a new party created by supporters of former president

Boni Yayi Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese banker and politician who was President of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 presidential election and was re-elected to a second term in March 2011. He also ...

) fear they will be designated as trojan horses by President Talon. The leader of the Democrats, Reckya Madougou, was arrested on 3 March 2021 and charged with "financing terrorism".

Protests

In April 2021 protests occurred in several Beninese cities in light of Talon's decision to stand for re-election after initially stating he would only serve for one term. Demonstrations were noted to have occurred in the commercial capital, Cotonou, as well as the city of Parakou in the centre of the country. On 8 April 2021 it was reported that two protestors had been shot dead and five more injured by security forces in Savè.

Electoral system

The president of Benin is elected by a

two-round system The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resu ...

to a five-year term that is renewable once. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, the top-two candidates compete in a second round organized within fifteen days of the first round. After a constitutional amendment adopted in November 2019, each presidential candidate has to run with a vice-presidential candidate. This running mate also has a five-year term and is charged with completing the president's term in case of impeachment or other impediment. Candidates for the presidency have to be a

Beninese Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

citizen, either by birth or from having lived in Benin for the past ten years, be of "good character and great probity", have all their civil and political rights, be between the ages of 40 and 70, and submit to a physical and mental assessment by three doctors sworn in by the Constitutional Court. A 2019 constitutional amendment also requires candidates to be nominated by no less than 10% of the total of Members of Parliament and Mayors, or about 16 officials.

Candidates

Candidates have until 4 February to obtain the nominations necessary and announce their candidacy. Twenty people, including incumbent President Patrice Talon, enrolled as candidates. Law professor Frédéric Joël Aïvo was the first to declare his candidacy. Several opposition leaders have supported a coalition backing Aïvo. President Talon announced his intention to run for another term on 15 January 2021, breaking his 2016 promise to run for one term. The next week, Talon revealed his running-mate, Vice President of the Assembly

Mariam Chabi Talata Mariam Chabi Talata Zimé Yérima (born 7 July 1963), is a Beninese politician who is the current Vice President of Benin after being elected in the 2021 Beninese presidential election as the running mate of President Patrice Talon. She wa ...

. The choice came as a surprise to observers, as Talata was not one of the names advanced by the pro-government parties and the president chose an alternative when the two parties were unable to agree. Talata would be Benin's first female vice president if elected.

Results

Provisional results from the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) were released on 13 April showing that incumbent president

was re-elected with 86.4% of the vote. Provisional results from the Constitutional Court on 15 April showed Talon winning with 87.3% of the vote. The final results were certified by the Constitutional Court on 20 April..

References

{{Beninese elections

Presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

Presidential elections in Benin