Harare — Benin's opposition has returned to parliament after a four-year absence, winning 28 seats in elections dominated by President Patrice Talon's allies, the country's constitutional court has said.

It was the first time the opposition was participating in elections since cotton-magnate Talon came to power in 2016, reports RFI.

Parties supporting Talon, the Republican Bloc and the Progressive Union for Renewal parties together won 81 out of 109 seats in parliament, said Razaki Amouda Issifou, president of the constitutional court. The opposition Democrats party gained 28 seats, he said, adding that voter turnout was 37.79%.

Seven political parties, including three allied to the opposition, were allowed to participate in the election. In 2019, opposition parties were effectively barred from participating in a legislative ballot due to stricter election rules, resulting in a parliament dominated by government supporters. That vote was marred by deadly clashes in an opposition stronghold, historic low turnout and an internet blackout, rare events in Benin.

According the RFI report, in Benin's proportional system, only parties that win more than 10% of the vote are eligible to get parliamentary seats.

On paper, Benin appears to be a constitutional democracy run by the rule of law. But since Talon first came to office and after getting re-elected in 2021, most of his opponents have been jailed or have gone into exile. He has gradually squeezed the substance out of the democratic and constitutional forms, leaving only a shell. Over time, Talon has been accused of politicized the security apparatus, the judicial system, and the media while intimidating or banning the opposition.

Just in 2021, Benin opposition leader Reckya Madougou was sentenced to 20 years in jail for terrorism by a special court in the capital Porto-Novo, following a brief trial that her lawyers condemned as a "political attack". Critics say the court, set up in 2016, has been used by Talon's regime to crack down on the opposition and pushed Benin into authoritarianism.

Madougou was one of several Benin opposition leaders banned from running in an election in April in which Talon won a second term with 86% of the vote. Some opposition leaders fled the country while others were disqualified from running in elections, or targeted for investigation. She was arrested in March - just weeks before the election - accused of financing an operation to assassinate political figures to prevent the vote, in an alleged bid to "destabilise" the country.

The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, a part of the African Union (AU), also publicly criticized the trajectory. Talon's response was to withdraw Benin from the court's jurisdiction.