Patrice Talon, former president of Benin, has been elected the country’s first senate president, just months after leaving office.
Talon was elected on a five-year mandate to lead the newly
created upper chamber, securing 24 of the 25 votes cast, with one blank ballot.
The vote was held behind closed doors and by secret ballot
on Thursday.
Talon’s return to frontline politics was predicted last year
after he approved a constitutional reform last November to establish the
senate, a move his administration said would strengthen political stability.
The West African country held presidential elections in
April. Romuald Wadagni, then-minister of finance, secured a landslide victory
with more than 94 percent of the votes.
Talon said he was “leaving office with the feeling of having
given my best, of having led the country to take some steps forward in all
areas”.
Thomas Boni Yayi, another ex-president and founder of the
opposition party ‘Les Démocrates du Bénin‘, expressed interest in challenging
Talon for the senate president seat.
However, Yayi lacked support among the members of the new
senate, who are appointed rather than elected, and later chose not to run.
Talon described the senate as a “chamber of wisdom, counsel,
conciliation, and appeasement” and said it would be a mistake not to serve in
it.
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