Benin’s Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni has won Sunday’s presidential election in a landslide victory with 94.05 per cent of the vote, according to preliminary results released Monday by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission, cementing the ruling coalition’s continued grip on power in the West African nation . Wadagni, 49, who had been widely tipped to win after being endorsed by outgoing President Patrice Talon, defeated his only opponent Paul Hounkpe, leader of the relatively small opposition party FCBE, who conceded defeat even as votes were still being counted . The electoral commission reported that more than 7.89 million voters were registered, with turnout reaching 58.75 per cent, though participation was much lower in the capital Porto-Novo, where it ranged from 20 per cent to 40 per cent at some polling stations . Wadagni’s running mate, Mariam Chabi Talata, will serve as vice president .
As finance minister for a decade, Wadagni oversaw consistent economic growth above 6 per cent each year, transforming Benin into one of West Africa’s most stable economies and attracting significant foreign investment . He campaigned on continuing this growth and pursuing a shift from a primary industry-driven model to a modern economy focused on industrialisation, digitalisation and regional integration . However, analysts noted before the election that Talon had systematically restricted political participation during his presidency, with constitutional changes meaning the largest opposition party, Les Democrats, wasn’t on the ballot at all . Presidential candidates were required to be endorsed by National Assembly members, but without any members in the assembly following January’s legislative elections, the Democrats’ leader Renaud Agbodjo was unable to obtain sufficient endorsements .
The election took place peacefully, with the Economic Community of West African States election observation mission praising “a peaceful atmosphere” and “the smooth running of the election” . The head of CENA, Sacca Lafia, confirmed the vote proceeded without major incident, though an electoral monitoring platform set up by civil society groups reported around one hundred “incident alerts,” including voting stations that had opened early or where voting boxes appeared full before the start of voting . In his concession statement, Hounkpe said: “To Romuald Wadagni, I offer my republican congratulations. Democracy requires mutual respect and the ability to rise above partisan divides” . The Constitutional Court is expected to announce the final results within five days .
Despite Benin’s rapid economic growth and increased tourism, the country of 14.5 million still faces major challenges, including a significant wealth gap, with the poverty rate estimated at just under 30 per cent for people living on $3 a day . Another threat to the country’s stability is the spillover of deadly jihadist violence from the Sahel region into Benin’s north, with militants crossing from Burkina Faso and Niger to launch attacks . The country also survived a failed coup attempt in December 2025, when disgruntled soldiers temporarily seized the state television network . For Wadagni, the landslide victory gives him a clear mandate to continue Talon’s economic reforms—but the barriers to opposition participation leave questions about whether Benin’s democracy is deepening or narrowing.
