Benin opposition returns to parliament after wins in polls
The opposition in Benin has made a comeback to the country’s parliament after winning 28 seats, provisional results from Sunday’s poll showed.
Benin’s opposition was absent from the parliament for four years.
The 2019 legislative polls were marred by controversy after the country’s electoral commission blocked all opposition parties from contesting.
Not having an opposition party in parliament meant no major restrictions or scrutiny of government policies.
The electoral commission has said the opposition had won 28 seats with allies of President Patrice Talon securing 81 in Sunday’s polls. Final results are expected later this week.
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President Patrice Talon has been in power since 2016. In 2017 he failed in his attempt to reform his country’s constitution.
Talon wanted to reduce the current two five-year presidential term to just one six-year term since the current term limit encourages “complacency”.
A bill to effect that and other reforms failed to get the needed backing in Benin’s parliament.
Experts considered that development a major blow for Talon after promising to reduce the term limit in 2016.
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Source: Africafeeds.com
