Benin Votes in Election Dominated by Presidential Third-Term Suspicions

Benin went to the polls Sunday in legislative elections seen as a key test for President Thomas Boni Yayi, whom the opposition accuses of planning to try to cling to power after his second term ends next year.

About 4.4 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots to pick 83 lawmakers.

Boni Yayi, who has led the small west African nation since 2006, has announced plans to reform the constitution to end impunity for corruption by strengthening the justice system.

But the opposition insists the real motive of his constitutional amendment is to scrap a two-term limit on presidential mandates so Boni Yayi can run again in 2016.

The battle over the proposed reforms has shaped Sunday's election.

"The challenge for the ruling party is to have a large majority in the national assembly, which would allow the president to realize constitutional reforms and maybe authorize (his) third term," said Gilles Yabi, a west Africa specialist based in Dakar.

Nine hours of voting had been scheduled to start at 0600 GMT but polling stations in several districts in the commercial capital Cotonou were still closed at mid-morning because of delays in the distribution of election materials.

The run-up to the election also saw delays in the distribution of voter cards.

Political analyst Rock Sosthene Nepo said the near total focus on the president's purported third-term ambitions had pushed the big issues to the back burner.

"Serious debate on public projects is non-existent or at least diminished" because of the constitutional reform dispute, he said.

Guy Kodjo, a 45-year-old unemployed electrician who voted in Cotonou's CG l'Ocean district, said he backed a candidate who promised to cap housing prices, complaining that accommodation in Cotonou had become "too expensive".

Valentine Amouzou, a 66-year-old retired midwife and mother of six, said she wanted to give incumbent lawmakers "the red card".

Benin boasts a relatively strong democratic record compared to other countries in turbulent west Africa.

But it is grappling with issues seen across the region: corruption and the challenge of ensuring the poor share in the benefits of economic growth.

Analysts said the emphasis on the third term issue was to be expected after the revolution late last year in neighboring Burkina Faso, which saw long-serving president Blaise Compaore toppled after he tried to abolish term limits.

Boni Yayi has not expressly voiced a desire to run again but "he has created the impression of a president in a permanent campaign", fueling opposition suspicions that he will not stand down, Yabi said.

Boni Yayi's Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin party (FCBE) has lost its majority in the national assembly following a series of recent defections to the opposition, but experts warn against attributing that to rising opposition strength.

Politics in Benin are "very poorly structured", said Yabi, adding that "political migrations" are common in campaign season and lawmakers are happy to switch sides if they think it will boost their re-election prospects.

The opposition ranks are fractured, with more than 20 parties fielding candidates.

Boni Yayi has tried to boost his international profile through his second term, shuttling across the continent while serving as head of the African Union in 2012.

But the most global attention his administration attracted was during the so-called Poison Plot of October 2012 when the government announced the discovery of an alleged plan to assassinate the president.

According to official allegations, Boni Yayi's doctor, conspiring with a prominent business tycoon and others, tried to replace his heart medication with poison.

Most of those allegedly involved have been pardoned.