From France 24

Several thousand people took to the streets of Benin’s commercial hub Cotonou on Thursday, in two separate marches prompted by a delay in holding local elections scheduled for last year.

Opposition supporters and those backing the government of President Thomas Boni Yayi marched along two separate routes but although noisy, the demonstrations passed off peacefully.

Local elections were last held in the tiny West African nation in 2008. A vote was to have been held in March last year but has been put off indefinitely.

Opposition lawmaker Atao Hinnouho said on Thursday: “Elections are very important in a country.

“We think the government should respect the people by doing all it can to meet the challenge and organise this delayed vote.”

Read more at France 24