Voters in Benin cast ballots Sunday to choose a successor to President Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after a decade in power, leaving a mixed legacy of economic growth, a growing jihadi insurgency in the north and the suppression of opposition critics.
Romuald Wadagni, the 49-year-old finance minister and governing coalition standard-bearer, is considered Talon’s anointed successor. Wadagni is being challenged by Paul Hounkpè, the sole opposition candidate.
Nearly 8 million are registered to vote across more than 17,000 polling stations in the West African nation.
Benin had over 15 million people in 2024, and like many sub-Saharan African countries, its population is overwhelmingly young.
Polls are expected to close at 4 p.m. with the results expected within 48 hours.
Analysts widely expect Wadagni to win after a parliamentary election in January, during which the opposition failed to cross the 20% threshold required to win seats, leaving Talon’s two allied parties
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