APA – Cotonou (Benin) – This is the third meeting between the two men in less than two years.
On Monday evening, Beninese President Patrice Talon received a delegation from the main opposition party, Les Démocrates, at his palace in Cotonou.
The delegation was led by former President Boni Yayi and included three other leaders, all members of the National Assembly.
According to sources close to the presidency, Talon first had a tête-à-tête with his predecessor, Boni Yayi. The talks were then extended to other members of the party and members of the government.
Officially, nothing came out of the meeting, but reports suggest that President Talon and his hosts returned to the issues raised a few days ago by Les Démocrates.
First, they discussed Yayi’s complaints against the electoral list.
In a Facebook post on November 10, the former Beninese leader denounced the electoral processes, which he said had never been inclusive since he left power in 2016.
He called for international arbitration before the 2026 legislative elections.
In his message, the leader of the Démocrats also demanded an audit of the electoral file and places for the opposition in the institutions responsible for organizing the elections.
The issue of “political prisoners and exiles” was also at the center of the exchange between Patrice Talon and the leaders of the main opposition party. The issue was widely discussed, but for the moment there is no official word on President Talon’s position on this complaint.
In this regard, Democrat MPs have submitted to the National Assembly a proposal for an amnesty law in favour of those they regard as political prisoners and exiles.
This is the first audience that Patrice Talon has granted to Boni Yayi since he became president of Les Démocrates on October 15.
However, the November 27 meeting is the third between the two men.
The Beninese president had already received Boni Yayi in September 2021 and June 2022.
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