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PARIS – President of Benin Thomas Boni Yayi says he will not run for a third term next year in accord with his country’s constitution, dismissing suspicions by the opposition that he would try to be re-elected.
“My name will not appear in any ballot anymore,” Boni Yayi said Tuesday following a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris.
Boni Yayi said he will ensure that a democratic ballot is organized in 2016 to choose a new president.
The constitution of Benin imposes a two-term limit on presidential candidates. Suspicions that Boni Yayi would try to change the constitution has exacerbated political tensions in the country.
Hollande praised “the vitality” of Benin’s democracy in a written statement and announced he will visit the country next month.