Benin’s President Patrice Talon was easily re-elected to a second term, provisional results showed Tuesday, after a weekend election critics said was already stacked in his favour following a crackdown on his opponents.
Talon, a cotton tycoon first elected to lead the West African state in 2016, faced two little-known rivals in Sunday’s vote with most of his key opponents in exile or disqualified from running.
“The duo Patrice Talon and Mariam Talata (vice-presidential candidate at his side) obtained in the first round the majority of votes cast,” said Geneviève Boko Nadjo, the vice-president of the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA).
She also said that the turnout was 50.17%.
Once praised as a vibrant multi-party democracy, critics say the former French colony has veered onto an authoritarian path under Talon with a steady campaign against his political foes.
Three international observer missions had already noted low turnout in the election, though they said the vote generally went ahead peacefully despite tensions and protests in the lead-up.
The opposition has not yet reacted to the announcement of this expected victory, but the opponent Alassane Soumanou, running against Mr. Talon and virtually unknown to the general public, had denounced “ballot box stuffing” and a non-transparent election.
