Benin opposition denounces electoral fraud

[News_Editor]

Benin opposition denounces electoral fraud

2011-03-16 02:12:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

COTONOU, BENIN (BNO NEWS) -- Benin's government claimed on Tuesday incumbent President Thomas Boni Yayi won the weekend elections outright, but the opposition leader is disputing the results, African Online News reported.

According to Benin's electoral commission, President Boni Yayi managed to win Sunday's election with 55.8 percent of the vote, gaining a second term in office. The electoral observer team of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the Beninese elections were "mainly free and transparent" and carried out "under acceptable conditions of freedom and transparency."

This was the first poll round in a presidential election delayed twice due to concerns over problems with voter registration. 

In addition to an incomplete electoral roll, the preliminary evaluation of the ECOWAS monitoring team also found that there had been a "shortage of ballots in certain centers as well as differences in the interpretation of some rules and procedures of the process."



Opposition leader Houngbedji said the electoral roll was incomplete, and added that his party's observers documented the "stuffing of ballot boxes with pre-stamped ballots" and cash payments for election officers to manipulate the poll, African Online News reported.

On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended the "peaceful and orderly" conduct of the first round of presidential elections in Benin. He said the West African country had set a positive example by organizing the ballot without major incident.


The electoral chaos started in February, as the new electoral roll had excluded 1.4 million Beninese potential voters due to capacity problems. 
After an order from the Constitutional Court and recommendations from a joint ECOWAS-UN team, the government agreed to postpone the elections. Most of the missing 1.4 million voters were registered during this time, but some hundred thousands Beninese citizens are still not included in the electoral roll.

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