Benin’s Talon Wins Re-election as President with 86% Landslide

Benin’s President Patrice Talon has won re-election with 86% of the votes, according to provisional results released by the national electoral commission.

Duo Allasane Soumanou got about 11.3% while Corentin Kohou came in third with 2.3%, with a voter turnout of 50%.

The Beninese Constitutional Court is expected to announce the final results of the election later.

Sunday’s vote took place peacefully, after a campaign marked by violence.

The main opposition figures, who are either in exile or have been sentenced to prison, had called for a boycott of the ballot.

Others were prevented from running in the elections by a new electoral code and institutional reforms.

The election could not be held in 13 of the country’s 546 districts, because of security problems in some areas in the country’s northern and central regions.

In Tchaourou area, the stronghold of former President Yayi Boni, barriers put up by demonstrators prevented the election from taking place.

These incidents did not affect the legality of the election, according to the president of the electoral commission.