The choice of time is not trivial. On Tuesday April 6, a few minutes after midnight, demonstrators crisscrossed the streets of Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, of Tchaourou, the town of origin of former President Thomas Boni Yayi, or of Savè, stronghold of the opposition, for demand the immediate departure of President Patrice Talon. To the cries of “Talon get out!” ” or “Five years is five years, not a day more”, they demanded the end of the mandate of the one who will present himself as the big favorite for his re-election Sunday, April 11. A few incidents, such as burnt tires on Place de l’Etoile-Rouge in Cotonou, have been reported.
Processions, this time made up of several hundred people, then formed in the morning in Porto Novo, Parakou, Calavi and in other towns favorable to the opposition. In Savè, where demonstrations killed several people in 2019 after clashes between soldiers and residents, young people ransacked a toll booth. Motorcycles and several vehicles were also burned in the home of a pro-Talon MP. The road to Tchaourou was blocked by tree trunks and tires, according to Agence France-Presse. In Cotonou, where mobilization was relatively weak, access to the presidency was restricted.
At the center of these tensions is the extension of the mandate of Patrice Talon, after the modification of the electoral calendar in November 2019 allowing the head of state to remain a month and a half more in his post before the winner of the presidential election scheduled for Sunday does not take office. “Patrice Talon’s mandate expired on April 5 at midnight so he must return power to the people now, says Stéphane Todomè, a Beninese journalist close to the opposition. Anyone who grants himself a few days of extra power may very well grant himself two years and even an additional mandate. “
Deteriorated situation
The demonstrations respond to the appeal launched by Komi Koutché, a figure of the opposition. “People of Benin, the republican pact that you sealed with Patrice Talon on April 6, 2016 constitutionally comes to an end on April 5, 2021”, said the former minister in a video widely disseminated on social networks. “While innocently you believed him and helped emerge with a Republican agenda in hand, he decided… to set up his own private agenda. The time has therefore come so that, as sole holder of national sovereignty, you can do away with this private agenda that it is still preparing to impose on you ”, added the one who urged the Beninese to demonstrate peacefully in the streets with a “White handkerchief in hand, whistles, drums and trumpets”.
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