A group of soldiers appeared on Benin’s state television on Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest in a series of power seizures in West Africa.
Calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, the soldiers declared the removal of the president and all state institutions.
President Patrice Talon, in power since 2016, was scheduled to step down next April after the presidential election. His party’s chosen candidate, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, was widely seen as the frontrunner. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was disqualified by the electoral commission for not having “sufficient sponsors.”
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The takeover comes a month after Benin’s legislature extended the presidential term from five to seven years while keeping the two-term limit.
(AFP)