Romuald Wadagni has been officially declared the winner of Benin’s presidential election following the confirmation of final results by the Constitutional Court.
The court upheld the provisional outcome announced earlier, which showed a decisive victory for Wadagni, the chosen successor of outgoing President Patrice Talon.
Announcing the decision, Constitutional Court President Cossi Dorothe Sossa stated that Wadagni had been duly elected president, alongside Mariam Chabi Talata as vice president. He added that the court found no irregularities capable of invalidating the electoral process and received no formal challenges to the results.
The April 12 election had been widely viewed as predictable, with limited opposition participation. Paul Hounkpe, a teacher and former minister, was the sole opposition candidate after the main opposition party was excluded for failing to meet sponsorship requirements. He secured less than six percent of the vote and conceded defeat ahead of the final announcement.
Wadagni, who has served as finance minister for a decade, is expected to continue the policies of the Talon administration, which has overseen economic growth, infrastructure development, and improvements in public finances.
He is set to be sworn in on May 24 but will face key challenges, including widening inequality and persistent security threats in northern regions linked to jihadist attacks.
