Beninese voters went to the polls on Sunday in crucial parliamentary and local elections, just one month after a failed coup plot shook the West African country.
The main opposition, Democrats party, was barred from the local polls.
The elections come at a fraught moment for Benin, still reeling from a coup attempt by army mutineers on December 7, which was put down in a matter of hours by the military, with support from external forces, including Nigeria's air force.
The streets of economic capital Cotonou were calm as polling stations opened at 7:00 am local time (06:00 GMT), AFP reporters said.
Grassroots mobilisation
"I'm coming to vote early so I don't have to deal with the midday crowds after church," restaurateur Adeline Sonon, 32, said after casting her ballot.
The single-round legislative polls will elect the 109 seats in the National Assembly, where President Patrice Talon's three-party bloc hopes to strengthen its majority.
The Democrats, only running in the parliamentary races, risk ceding ground to the ruling coalition, which currently holds 81 seats.
The campaign unfolded without large rallies, with most parties opting for grassroots strategies like door-to-door campaigns.
Electoral agency pledges transparent elections
"All measures have been taken to guarantee a free, transparent and secure vote. No political ambition can justify violence or endanger national unity," head of the electoral commission (CENA), Sacca Lafia, said on Saturday.
The legislative elections are set to define the political landscape ahead of April's presidential polls, with the opposition struck off the ballot.
While Talon, 67, who is nearing the end of his second five-year term, is constitutionally ineligible to run in April's elections, his preferred successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is widely viewed as a favourite to win.
Talon has presided over strong economic development across his nearly a decade in power, but critics accuse him of not tolerating dissent.
Polls are scheduled to close at 5:00 pm (04:00 GMT) on Sunday.
