Africa-Press. Benin’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENA) has announced the final results of the municipal elections held on January 7 in the city of Cotonou.
The results were in line with expectations, with the two pro-government parties securing all local council seats, amid the complete absence of opposition forces from municipal councils.
According to the official results, the two ruling majority parties — the Progressive Union for Renewal (UP-R) and the Republican Bloc — won all 1,815 municipal seats nationwide.
By contrast, the Benin Liberation Front (FCBE), regarded as the main moderate opposition party authorized to take part in the vote, failed to win a single seat. Voter turnout in these local elections was below 37% of registered voters, a figure described as low and reflecting widespread disengagement from the municipal electoral process. As was the case with the new parliament, the two ruling parties shared all municipal seats without any opposition representation.
The Progressive Union for Renewal, led by Joseph Djogbénou, secured 963 seats, while the Republican Bloc, headed by Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, won 852 seats. This distribution represents approximately 49% of the vote for the former, compared with less than 45% for the latter.
As for the Forces Cauris for an Emerging Benin (FCBE), the only third party authorized to participate in the elections, it failed to cross the electoral threshold, obtaining less than 7% of the vote — an insufficient share to secure any municipal representation.
Meanwhile, The Democrats party, the country’s main opposition force, will be absent from municipal councils for seven years after the electoral commission rejected its candidacy file for failing to meet the required legal conditions. The Supreme Court remains the competent authority to hear any appeals related to these elections.
The electoral commission took nearly twenty days after polling day to announce the final results, without its president, Sacca Lafia, providing any official explanation for the delay.
These municipal elections form part of the broader electoral timetable for 2026 and will be followed by the presidential election scheduled for April 12, which will see President Patrice Talon step down after completing his second and final term in office, in accordance with the Constitution.
