Nearly 5 million voters were called to the polls this Sunday, April 11, in Benin for a presidential election against President Patrice Talon against Alassane Soumanou Djimba and Corentin Kohoué. Polling stations closed at 4 pm local time after a low turnout.
At polling station number 5, in the EPP in Cadjehoun, the counting operations did not attract many people. Only a few people approached the windows of this classroom to attend, says our special correspondent in Cotonou, Magali Lagrange. However, the bill is public.
The mood was completely different during the last presidential election, a young man remembers. Five years ago, people shouted and defended their candidate. He says that this lack of enthusiasm is due to the presence of a heavyweight among the candidates and because the result of the vote is little doubt in the absence of major opposition figures. Others believe that voters were scared because of the context in which the election was held.
In addition to the members of the polling station and the citizens present during the count, two representatives of the Talon-Talata duo were there. However, the other two candidates were not represented.
Of the 438 voters registered in this Cadjehoun polling station, 101 received the only ballot in the ballot box. And of the hundred, 18 were zero. Attendance was low all day at the offices in Cotonou. No line of voters was formed.
Protests and demands boycott
The end of the election campaign was marked by protests against the president and this vote was not considered very inclusive. In a message on Facebook, the opponent Jean-Noël Ahivo, who saw his presidential candidacy, for example, confirmed that he would not vote and encouraged his citizens to do the same.
After voting this morning, President Talon spoke for the first time about the violence that erupted in the center of the country during the last days of the election campaign and which did two dead in Savè, in the middle of the country. He believes that the police have handled the situation well with “manipulated young people”. He also states that police officers were injured. He then said that it was necessary to “heal the wounds and make sure that this never happens again”.
► To read also: Presidential election in Benin: return to a calm vote with a modest turnout
Savè, ghost town
Savè spent Election Sunday as a dead day. Even at the closing time of the polls, the rebellious city was paralyzed. The traffic was almost zero. Markets and shops were still closed, describes our special envoy, Jean-Luc Aplogan. Some ruthless people gathered in front of their homes or at motorcycle taxis.
The people are scared. She is suspicious and worried. In the city center on Sunday, young opponents gave voters no chance to go and vote. They prevented several installations of election material. They also threatened and rejected election officials. Ballot boxes were lit in a polling station.
Some offices had to be moved near a police station, which allowed some voters to vote. At the end and as a precaution, the ballot boxes were collected in the courtyard of the police station. There were only about ten, while Savè has about sixty polling stations.
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