Benin’s President Patrice Talon this week held his first talks with predecessor and rival Thomas Boni Yayi for two years, but opposition parties condemned the lack of progress on freeing jailed colleagues.
Critics say Benin’s once thriving multi-party democracy has eroded under Talon, with most of the country’s major opposition leaders in exile, investigated, barred from running for office or in prison.
Talon, a cotton tycoon first elected in 2016, last met with former ally turned rival Yayi in 2021, in what was seen as a reconciliation effort with Yayi’s main opposition Democrats party.
On Monday evening, Talon met Yayi again. He agreed to an opposition call for an audit of the electoral lists but did not discuss a pardon for jailed opposition leaders or those in exile.
“It is good to have progress on the electoral question but the great disappointment remains Talon’s position on the fate of exiles and…
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