Benin Republic PM Concedes Defeat, Congratulates Opposition Who Won the Presidential Election

 

The prime minister of Benin Republic, Lionel Zinsou, has disclosed to local and international correspondents that he has conceded defeat to Patrice Talon, winner of the country’s presidential election, adding that, just like Goodluck Jonathan, he placed a call to the new prime minister to congratulate him on his victory.

 

"I called Patrice heel tonight to congratulate him on his victory and wish him good luck. I am going to speak in front of the press to thank my constituents after the announcement by CENA (Commission Electorale Nationale Autonome/ Benin, the country’s electoral commission)," he said in a Facebook post before the final election results were announced.

 

Zinsou and Talon were competing in a second-round run-off vote after neither won an outright majority in the first round of voting on March 6. Zinsou conceded after early results overnight gave Talon 64.8 percent of the vote, against 35.2 for Zinsou.

 

Though slightly different, the gesture of conceding elections at presidential levels still remains a strange phenomenon in Africa.

 

The feat was regarded as unprecedented just about a year ago, when Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former president, called to congratulate Muhammadu Buhari, the first person from the opposition to win a presidential election in the country.

 

It can be recalled that in an interview prior to the March 28 2015 presidential election, Jonathan said he was going to concede defeat if he lost.