The former president of Benin calls to the end of the vote

Former Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi said on Thursday that controversial parliamentary elections in which opposition parties can not participate must be stopped.

Benin will vote for a new parliament on April 28, but changes to the electoral code, setting stricter criteria for the nomination of candidates, have proved to be a de facto obstacle for opposition parties.

Yayi, who led the country for a decade between 2006 and 2016, held a rare press conference on Thursday demanding that his successor, Patrice Talon, put an end to the elections.

"I invite him to take full measure of the gravity of the current situation … and to put an end to the ongoing electoral process," Yayi told reporters.

The new electoral laws mean that only two parties – all Talon allies – have been able to meet the stricter administrative requirements imposed on candidates.

Five other parties were unable to do the same, which means that for the first time in nearly three decades, in a country once considered a model of democracy in Africa, the opposition will not participate in a legislative poll .

In the last election, five years ago, voters could choose candidates from 20 parties to fill the 83-member seats in parliament.

According to Talon, the amendment of the electoral code will simplify the complex political mosaic of Benin. By Etienne LAURENT (POOL / AFP)

"There can be no legislative elections (…) without opposition," said Yayi, calling on people to come together for the good of the nation and demand "an inclusive parliament to guarantee stability and peace ".

Critics fear that the elections will strengthen the president's ability to change the country's constitution. Public demonstrations have been dispersed by security forces.

Talon, elected in 2016, presents himself as a reformer and a modernist.

He added that the amended electoral code would bring together the many political parties and allow them to form simpler and more efficient blocs.

"There are more than 250 political parties … Each of these new parties includes dozens of political movements," said Talon this month.

He said he wanted to see the parties unite to form a third and fourth coalition to counterbalance the two main parties in Parliament that support him.