Beninese President Patrice Talon's ruling bloc won a clean sweep in legislative elections, according to provisional results.

Talon's three-party coalition overwhelmingly won the January 11 elections, thanks to a tough rule requiring parties to get at least 20% of the vote nationwide to sit in parliament.

The opposition Democrats fell shy of that, winning 16% across Benin's 24 voting districts, according to provisional results released on Saturday by the national electoral commission.

The Democrats are barred from standing in the presidential polls in April, after failing to gather enough signatures to register.

Voter turnout

The same rule sidelined them from local elections that were held alongside the parliamentary polls on January 11.

The two top parties in the ruling coalition, which holds 81 of the 109 seats in the current National Assembly, will now have full control of parliament.

Turnout in the elections was 36.7%, officials said, roughly on par with the 37% registered in 2023, at the last legislative polls.

Under a November constitutional reform, the presidential term was extended to seven years, with a two-term limit.