The Benin Republic’s minister of finance, Romuald Wadagni, has secured a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election, polling more than 94 per cent of the votes, according to provisional results.
Sacca Lafia, head of the country’s independent electoral commission, announced the outcome late Monday night on national television.
Lafia said voter turnout for the election stood at 58.78 per cent.
Before the announcement, Paul Hounkpè, the sole opposition candidate, conceded defeat.
Hounkpè had said he would accept the result depending on the transparency and fairness of the electoral process.
His concession clears the path for Wadagni to succeed Patrice Talon.
Wadagni’s victory had been widely expected after the opposition failed to meet the 20 per cent threshold required to secure seats in the January parliamentary election, leaving Talon’s two allied parties in control of all 109 seats in the national assembly.
The 49-year-old has highlighted the country’s economic growth during his decade-long tenure as finance minister as a key strength.
Last year, Benin recorded economic growth of seven per cent, making it one of the more stable performers in West Africa.
On Sunday, during the presidential polls, Talon said he was “leaving office with the feeling of having given my best, of having led the country to take some steps forward in all areas”.
“Whatever the outcome of the vote, Benin has reached a milestone in its history,” the president added.
Although widely regarded as democratic, Benin’s stability has faced challenges in recent times.
In September 2024, prosecutors said they had foiled a suspected coup attempt involving Olivier Boko, a businessman and longtime ally of Talon who had ambitions for the presidency.
Last December, a group of military officers attempted to overthrow Talon’s government but failed following intervention by Nigeria.
A month before the attempted coup, lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment extending the presidential term to seven years.