Polling closed in Benin's parliamentary elections Saturday after voters cast their ballots during nine hours, according to information reaching here from Cotonou, the commercial capital of the neighboring West African country.

The official outcome is expected in several days, while partial results could be known late in the day, Benin's independent electoral commission announced.

Nearly 4 million voters of Benin's more than 6.75 million population went to the 15,233 polling stations across the country from 7:00 am (06:00 GMT) to 4:00 pm (15:00 GMT). They were to elect 83 members of parliament from 2,158 candidates, representing 24 political parties and alliances.

The four-year term for the out-going law makers expires on April 21.

President Thomas Boni Yayi hailed the vote as another important step toward the rule of law and democracy. He expressed thanks to all political parties for their awareness of the importance of the polls.

More than 200 monitoring staff observed the election process, which went smoothly except for delays at some polling stations where facilities were not fully installed.

Source: Xinhua