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All 83 seats in the National Assembly 42 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 27.12% | ||||||||||||||
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This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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 Africaportal |
Parliamentary elections were held in Benin on 28 April 2019. [1]
The election date was set at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on 9 January 2019, with the term of the National Assembly elected in 2015 due to expire in March 2019. [1]
The 83 members of the National Assembly are elected by proportional representation in 24 multi-member constituencies, based on the country's departments. [2] A controversial new electoral code introduced in July 2018 saw the creation of an electoral threshold of 10% of the national vote to enter parliament (higher than most countries which use a threshold), whilst the deposit required for a parliamentary list was increased from 8.3 million francs to 249 million francs (equivalent to roughly 380,000 euros). [3] The reforms were aimed at reducing the large number of active political parties, which at the time numbered around 200. [3]
Due to the higher electoral threshold, several new parties and blocs were formed prior to the elections. [1] The Progressive Union was formed by a merger of over 20 parties and alliances, including Union Makes the Nation, the Benin Rebirth Party, the Social Democratic Party, Key Force, the Congress of People for Progress, the United Democratic Forces, the Union for Relief, the Union for Democracy and National Solidarity, the Scout Alliance and the Union for Benin. [4]
Despite a call from Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin leader and former President Thomas Boni Yayi for unity amongst opposition parties, [5] it was reported that several opposition parties appeared set to run alone, including the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD). [1]
Although it was announced on 16 January 2019 that the opposition would form a single bloc to participate in the elections, [6] only two blocs were registered to contest the elections – the Republican Bloc and the Progressive Union, both of which were linked to President Patrice Talon. [7] The election commission rejected the applications of five opposition groups, including the PRD, Cowry Forces for the Development of Benin, Union for the Development of Benin, Moele-Bénin and the Social-Liberal Union. [8]
Protests against the new electoral law were banned, with protesters defying the ban arrested. [9] Former presidents Nicéphore Soglo and Thomas Boni Yayi both spoke at a protest event in Cotonou, at which police used tear gas. [9] Prior to the elections, several opposition activists and political journalists were also arrested. [9]
On election day, NetBlocks reported the blocking of social media platforms and the subsequent disconnection of nearly all internet connectivity in the country. [10] [11] [12]
The turnout of 23% (if only valid votes are considered) was a significant drop from 65% from the previous election and the lowest in an election since Benin adopted democracy.
Voting did not take place in 39 of the country's 546 arrondissements due to local incidents. [13]
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| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Progressive Union | 47 | |||
| Republican Bloc | 36 | |||
| Total | 83 | |||
| Total votes | 1,353,955 | – | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 4,992,399 | 27.12 | ||
| Source: Constitutional Court | ||||
The History of Benin since the 16th century, for the geographical area included in 1960 in what was then called the Republic of Dahomey before becoming the People's Republic of Benin.
Elections in Benin take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. Both the President and the National Assembly are directly elected by voters, with elections organised by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA).
Rosine Honorine Vieyra Soglo was a Beninese politician. Soglo served as First Lady of Benin from 1991 to 1996 during the presidency of her husband, Nicéphore Soglo. She is considered the first First Lady of the democratic era following Benin's transition to a multi-party democracy.
Adrien Houngbédji is a Beninese politician and the leader of the Democratic Renewal Party, one of Benin's main political parties. He was President of the National Assembly of Benin from 1991 to 1995, Prime Minister of Benin from 1996 to 1998, and President of the National Assembly again from 1999 to 2003. Beginning in 1991, he stood repeatedly as a presidential candidate; he placed second in 2006, but was heavily defeated by Yayi Boni in a second round of voting. From 2015 to 2019, he served for a third time as President of the National Assembly.
Thomas Boni Yayi is a Beninese banker and politician who was the president of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 presidential election and was re-elected to a second term in March 2011. He also served as the chairperson of the African Union from 29 January 2012 to 27 January 2013.
The unicameral National Assembly is Benin's legislative body.
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The Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin is a political party of Benin, formed by supporters of president Yayi Boni. In the parliamentary election held on 31 March 2007, the party won 35 out of 83 seats. The party expanded its plurality to 41 seats in the 2011 election that followed the contested reelection of Yayi Boni as president.
Lionel Zinsou is a French–Beninese economist and investment banker who was Prime Minister of Benin from 2015 to 2016. Since June 2017, he has been the president of Terra Nova, a centre-left French think tank.
Parliamentary elections were held in Benin on 26 April 2015.
Presidential elections were held in Benin on 6 March 2016, having been delayed by one week due to logistical constraints. Incumbent President Thomas Boni Yayi was at the end of his second presidential term and was constitutionally barred from running for a third. The elections grabbed the interest of many of the country's top businessmen, resulting in over 30 candidates trying to run for the presidency. A second round was held on 20 March, in which businessman Patrice Talon defeated Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou.
Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon is a Beninese politician and businessman who has been president of Benin since 6 April 2016.
Marcel Alain de Souza was a Beninese politician and banker. He served as President of the ECOWAS Commission from April 2016 until February 2018. He was Minister for Development, Economic Analysis and Forecast of Benin from May 2011 until June 2015.
Presidential elections were held in Benin on 11 April 2021 to elect the President of the Republic of Benin for a five-year term. Incumbent president Patrice Talon was re-elected for a second term in office with 86% of the vote.
The Progressive Union for Renewal, formerly called Progressive Union, is a political party in Benin, led by Bruno Amoussou. It tends to be more popular in the south of the country.
Municipal elections were held in Benin on 17 May 2020 to elect all councillors in every municipality and commune. The elections took place despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chantal de Souza Yayi is a Beninese politician and former First Lady of Benin from 2006 until 2016. She is the wife of former Beninese President Thomas Boni Yayi.
Parliamentary elections were held in Benin on 8 January 2023 to elect all 109 members of the National Assembly. The preliminary results of the election were announced on 11 January. The result was a victory for parties supportive of President Patrice Talon, the Progressive Union and Republican Bloc, which together won 81 of the 109 seats.
The Democrats is a political party in Benin. Founded and led by former president Thomas Boni Yayi, it is currently the only opposition party represented in the National Assembly following the 2023 Beninese parliamentary election. Ideologically, the party has been described as left-wing.
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