In Benin, the last elections were marked by strong tensions and violence, due to the non-participation of the opposition. This time, two days before the vote, in Savè, a commune in the Collines department, the atmosphere is calm.
Shops open, roads clear, says our special correspondent on the spot, Magali Lagrange. A few days before the legislative elections, Savè offers a very different face from that of April 2021: “ It’s going well, it’s calm. Everything is fine and really, it’s very good! »
Emmanuel Houessou washes a car in front of a pharmacy, where a truck blocked the road, before the last presidential election. Roadblocks had been erected there and on the road leading to Parakou by demonstrators hostile to the holding of a poll without a major opposition figure. The army had been sent as reinforcements, violent clashes had broken out. This time, on the side of the presidential movement as well as the opposition, it is hoped that this election, more inclusive, will bring voters back to the polls. The parties claim to have been able to carry out their campaign normally: “ There are caravans passing by, there is harmony between them, there is no fuss, people do not hurt each other. As they allowed the opponent to attend, there is calm! The atmosphere is normal. Each party has said what it wants to do, now it’s up to you to judge what’s good for you, and go and vote, calmly. »
Calm, peace. Like Gilbert, it is the wish expressed yesterday by several inhabitants of Savè, including those who show their disinterest in the ballot. The memory of the tensions of the last elections is still vivid. Yesterday, no particular security device was visible in the streets of the city.