FILE – Benin President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 23, 2024.
Eraldo Peres/AP
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Eraldo Peres/AP
COTONOU, Benin – A group of soldiers have appeared on Benin state television and announced the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.
The group, calling itself the Military Committee for Reconstitution, announced on Sunday the resignation of the president and all state institutions.
Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri has been appointed chairman of the military committee, the soldiers said.
President Patrice Talon had been in power since 2016 and was expected to step down in April after the presidential elections.
Talon’s party choice, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, was the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission because he did not have sufficient sponsors.
Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.
The coup is the latest in a series of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last week, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau ousted former President Umaro Embalo after a disputed election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.
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