According to preliminary results from the electoral commission, Romuald Wadagni, the Finance Minister of Benin Republic, has won the country’s presidential election by a wide margin, getting around 94% of the vote.
Wadagni won the vote on April 12 by a wide margin over his closest contender, Paul Hounkpe, who gave up before the final results were even revealed.
Hounkpe sent a statement of concession in which he thanked Wadagni and said that democracy needs people to accept each other and work together, even when they disagree politically.
Many people thought Wadagni, 49, was going to win the campaign since departing President Patrice Talon had backed him. Talon is standing down after two terms in office.
Even though the result was clear, several regions of the country didn’t seem too excited about voting. At some polling places in the capital, Porto-Novo, just 20 to 40 percent of people showed up to vote. But life in the economic center, Cotonou, rapidly went back to normal after the vote.
The electoral board said that 58.75 percent of voters cast their ballots.
People said the election was mostly peaceful and well-organized. Observers from the Economic Community of West African States praised the calm environment and smooth running of the process, even though there were some reports of little problems.
Wadagni is likely to keep the Talon administration’s policies in place, which have led to economic growth, more infrastructure, and more tourists.
But there are still big problems to deal with, such a high poverty rate that affects more than 30% of the population and rising violence in the north that is related to extremist groups like the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims.
Benin’s presidential term has been extended from five to seven years thanks to recent changes to the constitution. The next elections will be in 2033.
Wadagni’s win means that the government will stay the same, but people still have high hopes for real improvements in their safety and living situations.
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