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Nearly 5.5 million Beninese voters are called to the polls on Sunday April 11 to elect their head of state, while the center and the north of the country are paralyzed by demonstrators who denounce the confiscation of the ballot by the president outgoing, Patrice Talon.
The former businessman, who made his fortune in agricultural inputs and then cotton, has committed his country to an authoritarian turn. His re-election, facing two candidates almost unknown to the public and from the same movement as him – former deputies Alassane Soumanou and Corentin Kohoué – is almost assured.
Major opposition figures are in exile or sentenced to ineligibility. Others, such as university professor Frédéric Joël Aïvo, saw their candidacy rejected by the electoral commission because they did not have at least sixteen sponsorships, as required by the 2019 Constitution. In Benin, a country formerly praised for its stability and democratic vigor, 154 of the 160 elected officials (mayors and deputies) belong to Patrice Talon’s camp.
Thomas Boni Yayi, behind
After having led the State from 2006 to 2016, Thomas Boni Yayi left in April 2020 the Force cauris party for an emerging Benin (FCBE), which he had created. He accused his movement of having been infiltrated by relatives of Patrice Talon and banned the FCBE from using his ” picture, [son] name and [sa] surety in any form whatsoever ”.
Thomas Boni Yayi and Patrice Talon, who financed several election campaigns of his predecessor, have a complex relationship. In October 2012, the cotton tycoon was even accused of trying to poison his rival. After the political crisis following the legislative elections in April 2019, Thomas Boni Yayi’s home was surrounded by police and violent clashes broke out.
After going into exile, the former president returned to Benin. He remains an influential member of the opposition, especially around his native town of Tchaourou (center), as well as in Savè and Porto-Novo, where members of the Nagô ethnic group, from which he comes, are present.
Lionel Zinsou, ineligible
Former prime minister of Thomas Boni Yayi, Lionel Zinsou was defeated in the second round of the 2016 presidential election by Patrice Talon. Accused of being “the candidate of France”, the economist, former adviser to Laurent Fabius, had bowed with 34.63% of the vote, against 65.67%.
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