Beninese are awaiting the results of the legislative elections held on Sunday to elect the 109 deputies of the future National Assembly. Seven parties were in the running. La Cena has yet to announce any results or turnout. Civil society organizations (CSOs) deployed 714 observers on the ground on Sunday. They made their observations yesterday.
With our special correspondent in Cotonou, Magali Lagrange and our correspondent, Jean-Luc Aplogan
Among the recommendations of civil society organizations, that of contributing to a better participation of voters in the various elections. On Sunday, their observers noted a low attendance in the morning, then an improvement in the afternoon.
The CSO electoral platform gives a numerical estimate of participation at nearly 45%, based on its observations in the 675 polling stations for which information has been received. The organizations insist, however: this figure can in no way be considered official since only the Cena and the Constitutional Court have the prerogatives.
Another recommendation made, which concerns the political parties: be better represented in the voting centers, send more delegates, so that each party in the running can monitor the operations.
Finally, civil society organizations call on all stakeholders to maintain a peaceful climate during the post-election period and on the Céna to announce the provisional results within a reasonable time. The day after the legislative elections on Sunday, the autonomous electoral commission receives the canteens which contain the documents of the vote, in particular the minutes. They are sent from the 546 districts of the country. The figures will be compiled, checked and cross-checked before the proclamation of the provisional results which could take place this Wednesday.
Room guarded by the army
Monday, January 9, 6 p.m., the courtyard of the Céna is teeming with people. It looks like an open-air warehouse, it is so cluttered. Vehicles arrive through a reserved entrance to unload green metal canteens containing the votes of the 546 districts of Benin. There are two canteens per district, one for the Cena and the other for the Constitutional Court.
Ruffin Domingo, Materials and Operations Manager, recounts what the institution does with it: We open them, we try to extract the compilation reports, we assemble them by municipality and we start processing them in the computer room. »
The room is guarded by the army, it is sensitive, its computers produce the results… Is it independent? Response from Ruffin Domingo: “ The IT department is under no pressure. The transparency is total. The processing that is done at the Céna is to make reliable results as they come out of the ballot box. Everything that is said on social networks is communication between the different political chapels. It does not engage the Cena. In any case, the Céna must announce the results on Wednesday January 11 according to its timetable. »
Monday evening, the opposition party Les Démocrates asked the institutions in charge of the elections to faithfully proclaim the results of the ballot box.
ECOWAS, which deployed 40 observers, also issued its conclusions. It generally welcomes the good organization of the ballot, held in a peaceful atmosphere. She asks the Cena to publish the results as soon as possible to remove any suspicion, and the parties not to announce results in advance, so as not to affect the peaceful climate observed so far.