Africa: Continued voter disinterest undermines democratic governance in Benin

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Ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for April, low voter turnout in legislative and local elections calls for an evaluation of electoral laws.

Just two months after the attempted coup, Benin’s new members of parliament were sworn in on February 8. They were elected last January and will serve a seven-year term, according to the new law constitution Released on December 17, 2025.

This election results It is key ahead of the presidential elections in April 2026, which will mark the fifth democratic change of leadership in Benin since the beginning of multiparty democracy in 1990. It will also influence the country’s future political landscape.

Joint parliamentary and local elections were held one month after the failed coup attempt on December 7 coup. The widely condemned coup attempt has cast doubt on whether the election will go ahead and raised concerns that instability could affect voter turnout. Turnout was already low at 36.74%. But most observers agreed that the elections took place peacefully.

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Incidents such as the late opening of many polling stations may have dampened the enthusiasm of some voters, but the Constitutional Court did not feel they threatened the integrity and transparency of the elections.

To enhance the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the presidential elections in April 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission must conduct a careful analysis and integrate relevant recommendations from various observation missions.

President Patrice Talon’s successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadany, is scheduled to face Paul Honkby, leader of the so-called moderate opposition. Hunkby’s candidacy was only possible through a political deal with the ruling coalition, which gave him the sponsorship necessary to meet the legal requirements of the race.

One of the main issues at stake in a presidential election is voter turnout, which will determine the legitimacy of the president-elect. Declining turnout has been the trend since Tallon took office in 2016. In 2023 Legislative In the elections, only 37.79% of voters cast their ballots.

Tallon’s government has often been criticized for adopting bold institutional and constitutional reforms, some of which are under consideration. controversial And non-consensual. These include the 2024 elections code and the new constitution adopted in December 2025. This may contribute to continued voter disinterest, ultimately undermining democratic governance.

The January 2026 elections were the first test of the new election law, which fostered mistrust among some political elites. The law maintains the requirement for a party to obtain 10% of the votes at the national level to guarantee seats in Parliament. But she added that each party would also need at least 20% of the vote in each of the country’s 24 electoral districts.

Beyond these higher thresholds, the law raises the quota of sponsorship (provided by mayors, members of parliament, or both) required to run for president and vice president to 15% (up from 10%). The new rate equals the exact number of sponsorships held by the main opposition party, the Democrats. This fed Speculation That the change was designed to put the party in a precarious position in the event of internal divisions.

The Progressive Union for Renewal (UPR) and the Republican Bloc (BR) competed in the legislative elections. The movement of pro-government elites committed to the liberation of Benin; Former Head of State Thomas Boni Yayi of Les Democrates (LD); and the Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Émergent (FCBE), which claims to be part of the moderate opposition.

Of these parties, only the UPR and BR crossed the 20% threshold in each of the 24 constituencies, winning all 109 parliamentary seats, with 60 and 49 MPs respectively. They also share all 77 mayors, thus controlling all 186 elected officials who could sponsor potential presidential candidates for the 2033 election.

FCBE, the only moderate opposition party to participate in the January elections, received 6.65% of the vote nationally, less than the 10% required for seat allocation.

This new parliamentary formation They remember In 2019, when the two main parties in the presidential movement, the Universal Periodic Review and the Revolutionary Movement, held all the seats. This situation raised questions about the legitimacy of a National Assembly entirely devoted to executive power, and about the separation of powers.

Although the Liberal Democrats received about 16% of the vote nationally, above the required 10%, it failed to reach the 20% threshold in 13 out of 24 electoral districts. Because party members bidder Entering into a parliamentary coalition with the ruling parties before the elections, it was unable to obtain any seats in Parliament.

While the LDP received many votes, its electoral performance, internal leadership, and loyalty crises undermined the party. Six of the party’s 28 members defected to the ruling coalition before the January elections, leaving the party with 22 sponsors, short of the legal requirement to field a candidate for the presidential election.

If the electoral rules do not change – including that “an MP or mayor can only sponsor the candidate of a member or representative of the political party on whose list he was elected” – and if the party does not align with the ruling majority – he could be excluded from the presidential race until 2040.