Legislative 2023/Major Trends: Tactician thin heel

For the first inclusive elections, free and transparent organized since he came to power in 2016, President Talon through these two major parties gained the upper hand over the opposition. According to provisional figures given by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (PRICE), the Union Progressive le Renouveau party is the first political formation with 53 seats, followed by the Republican Bloc 28 seats and the Democrats 28 seats.

Provisional results that confirm President Talon. The Head of State, in view of the figures made public, can now well bend his chest for having presented a rather positive assessment in many sectors of national life after his seven years of management of power. Thereby, au plan social, the government has agreed to raise the rate of the guaranteed interprofessional minimum wage (Chin), a measure that also affected all civil servants and retirees to varying degrees. The announcement of this "gift" had also been made a few days before the start of the electoral campaign., what was supposed to impact the result.

In the rural sector, the 7 years have seen Benin become one of the leading cotton producers in Africa. It was also during this period that new agricultural sectors, like soy, have known their flight. At the same time, while his predecessor Yayi Boni preferred to build interurban roads, President Talon has, For its part, concentrated its achievements in the largest cities where the impact is immediately visible to the greatest number. And in this sense, he gave a new face to these towns, especially those in southern Benin such as Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Abomey Calavi and Ouidah.

On another side, the Head of State can be delighted with the macroeconomic indicators that the Bretton Woods institutions find rather positive and which increase Benin's credibility on the international financial markets.

Patrice Talon, who was already a major economic player at the end of President Nicéphore Soglo's five-year term in 2016 would certainly have learned from the latter's failure to get elected for a second term. Like him, Soglo has revived a failing economy. He had built the first major road infrastructures, in particular by paving a large number of streets. Before him, Cotonou looked like a big village with few motorable roads. But with the difference that the cantor of the Rupture knew how to put in place his strategy. The man once demonstrated that he is a fine tactician who knows how to move the pawns well to come out a winner.

In fact, yesterday like today, in Benin, it is not enough to perform economic miracles to win an election. Other factors come into play, including the impact of governance on the shopping basket, but also the behavior of the rulers.. To Nicephore Soglo, he had been accused of condescension, the irruption of the family in the affairs of the State and much more. In current power, although many criticize him for the lack of empathy but also the lack of regard of a large number of courtiers certain to have the favor of the Head of State, the latter knew how to play his all in the shadows so that failure was not at the rendezvous.

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The 28 seats obtained by the party The Democrats must challenge the power in place to review its copy in certain areas. And for good reason, in some constituencies and especially in Cotonou, the parties of the movement did not exist. It's now an open secret.. The current governance is blamed, in addition to reforms, increasingly high taxes and on more and more sectors that were previously spared. Taxes that negatively impact a cost of living already marked by galloping inflation since the advent of Covid-19 in 2019. In fact, the waltz of prices on the markets could not forgive the evictions, at the start of the first term, merchants and small economic actors who exercised on the sidewalks of cities.

To the discontent of city dwellers is added that of the rural world. As soybean production takes off, the measures taken in 2022 had the impact of a cleaver on the sector. Farmers and traders find themselves with quantities of this legume that they are struggling to liquidate because of the high export tax and purchase prices that refuse to take off..

For their part, civil servants and some workers in the private sector criticize the Head of State for having limited trade union freedoms with the ban on strikes in certain services and many other measures.

Finally, au plan local, some candidates aligned by parties of the mobility for these legislative elections are sclerotic personalities that voters sometimes did not hesitate to drive out of their localities during the electoral campaign. They are criticized for being ready to serve a regime and then deny it to grant themselves the favors of the newcomer.

Sunday's vote 8 January 2023 is therefore a confirmation for the Head of State but also a strong signal to ask him to review the direction of his governance a little bit. It is not yet late as the general and presidential elections are for 2026. Learning lessons despite the victory will allow the undecided to pass the towel and bring to the top the one who would be designated as dolphin. But for this to happen, it is necessary for President Talon to make a strategic sweep of his entourage.

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