13.4.2026
Benin presidential election favourite Romuald Wadagni headed for victory Monday as his opponent conceded defeat even as votes were still being counted.
Opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe offered “republican congratulations” to finance minister Wadagni, 49, who had been widely tipped to win after being endorsed by outgoing leader Patrice Talon.
Official results are not expected before Tuesday. But Wadagni’s ability to conjure economic growth in the face of jihadist attacks gave him a clear lead, even if the eight million-strong electorate showed scant enthusiasm for either candidate, notably in the West African nation’s cities.
“To… Romuald Wadagni, I offer my republican congratulations. Democracy requires mutual respect and the ability to rise above partisan divides,” Hounkpe said in his concession statement.
Talon stood down after two five-year terms since 2016. But in the capital Porto-Novo, turnout for Sunday’s vote ranged from 20 to 40 percent at some polling stations, while life in economic capital Cotonou was largely back to its usual bustle by Monday.
Hounkpe ran a low-key campaign and needed the help of majority lawmakers to secure the required parliamentary endorsements even to get on the ballot paper.
The main opposition Democrats party did not field a candidate as its leader, Renaud Agbodjo, failed to secure sufficient endorsements.
For the media, in the words of Le Telegramme daily, the election was “generally calm and well-organised,” while Le Matin Libre saw “Wadagni on his way to the Marina,” the presidential palace.
Le Patriote, however, saw “signs of an electoral heist.”
“We are waiting for the CENA (electoral commission) to confirm in the coming hours what we already knew: the undisputed victory of our candidate,” said Rominus Gnonlonfoun, a leading Wadagni supporter. AFP