Benin President Patrice Talon will run against two challengers in a presidential election on April 11, the West African nation’s constitutional court said on Monday.
Talon, who came to power in 2016, will run against Alassane Soumanou of the opposition party Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) and opposition figure Corentin Kohoue.
The country’s image as a bastion of democracy and stability in a troubled region was dented by the exclusion of opposition parties from parliamentary elections in 2019, which sparked rare unrest.
Under Talon, leading opposition figures have also faced targeted harassment from the authorities, including through the courts, according to U.S. democracy watchdog group Freedom House.
Source : reuters
