During the mayhem, businesses were torched and the windows of government buildings smashed.
A woman taking part in protests against the exclusion of opposition parties in last Sunday’s parliamentary polls in Benin has died following clashes with security forces as they waded into crowds of protesters and forcibly broke them up.
On Thursday, police and soldiers in Benin’s largest city Cotonou used firearms and water cannons to break up the protests which began on Wednesday as people erected makeshift barricades of burning tyres and called for President Patrice Talon to step down, Al Jazeera reported. The protests erupted only hours after initial results on Wednesday showed a record low turnout for the election after large numbers of voters boycotted the poll which offered no opposition candidate to choose from. Two parties both aligned with Talon offered 83 new candidates to be elected to parliament.
The protesters, supporters of former president Thomas Boni Yayi, who urged them to boycott the ballot, erected makeshift barriers of burning tyres and chanted slogans against Talon. One of the country’s largest cotton factories – a sector in which Talon made his fortune before entering politics – was set on fire.The inability of opposition parliamentarians to run in the poll followed a decision by the country’s electoral commission to bar opposition parties from standing because they were unable to meet strict criteria under a new election law to field candidates.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Benin voters boycott parliamentary polls as no opposition runsAmnesty International called the internet shutdown a 'blunt violation of the right to freedom of expression'.
Read more »
Benin voters cast their ballots in an election sans oppositionOnly two parties, both allied to President Patrice Talon, take part in the vote
Read more »
Benin voters cast their ballots in an election sans oppositionOnly two parties, both allied to President Patrice Talon, take part in the vote
Read more »
Soldiers break up protests in Benin post-election violenceTroops and riot police square off with protesters in the streets of Benin's economic capital
Read more »
San Diego synagogue shooting leaves one dead and three woundedA gunman walked into a San Diego-area synagogue crowded with Sabbath worshippers on Saturday and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing one woman inside and wounding three others in a hate crime carried out on the last day of Passover, authorities said.
Read more »
Newsdeck: Empowerment promises: Gauteng partners with business to give a leg up to one million youthsGauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi visited residents in Braamfischerville Phase 4 in Sowetoto tell them about a youth empowerment initiative which he is certain has the potential to change their lives.
Read more »
Judge vs judge as one accuses the other of ‘racism’, ‘hate speech’Judge Tuchten raised questions about Judge Makhubele’s role in a Prasa dispute. Now she claims she was singled out as a black woman.
Read more »
Oprah spends R140k on wedding dress for one of her former SA school studentsThe young lady, who goes by glori_r on Instagram, is set to walk down the aisle soon, and in order to do so had to find the perfect dress. That's where Oprah came in.
Read more »
South Africa is one of the fastest music streaming markets in the worldSouth Africa is second on the list of countries with most notable streaming growth.
Read more »
Leclerc leads Ferrari practice one-two after drain dramaCharles Leclerc set a scorching pace on an incident-packed Azerbaijan Grand Prix Friday with Ferrari top of the practice timesheets after an early drain drama that wrecked George Russell’s Williams.
Read more »