Legislative Elections 2026: CENA announces a turnout rate of 36.73%

According to data from the National Autonomous Electoral Commission, 36.73% of voters cast their ballots in the legislative elections held last Sunday.

A figure that confirms a moderate mobilization of Benin’s electorate for this parliamentary election held in an unprecedented institutional and political context.
This level of participation, below the symbolic 40% threshold, continues the trends observed in recent years in legislative elections, marked by a gradual disengagement from the polls, despite the strategic stakes of this election. For reference, these legislative elections are the first step in the 2026 electoral cycle, ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April.

Several factors may explain this rate. On the ground, delays in opening polling stations, occasional logistical malfunctions, and a climate of strong political polarization were reported in some localities. In addition, there is a certain voter fatigue in a context where the eligibility rules for seats, notably the 20% thresholds per constituency and 10% at the national level for coalitions, are perceived by part of public opinion as complex and restrictive.

The CENA specifies that this rate concerns exclusively the legislative elections; data relating to municipal elections is still being processed. The publication of the main trends, followed by the proclamation of the final results by the Constitutional Court, will allow assessing the real impact of this participation on the composition of the next National Assembly.