Benin faces uneven race for president

Benin's long-serving finance minister and chosen successor of outgoing president Patrice Talon is expected to win elections on Sunday, with the economy booming but jihadist attacks blighting the north.

Talon is barred by the constitution from standing again after two terms spanning a decade in which Benin grew into an attractive destination for investors and tourists but was accused of restricting political opposition and freedom of expression.

Backed by the ruling bloc, Romuald Wadagni, 49, who has been finance minister for 10 years, faces a single rival, Paul Hounkpe, a former culture minister seen as a moderate.

Voter turnout will be key but many in the economic capital Cotonou appeared lukewarm about the polls and suggested they were a foregone conclusion.

"To me, Hounkpe’s candidacy is just for show. Everyone already knows how the vote will turn out. Are we still in a democracy?" civil service executive Moufalilou Adeniyi said.

While low-key, Hounkpe, a teacher by training and an ex-mayor, is "steeped in experience", supporters say, but he needed the sponsorship of ruling party lawmakers to allow him to run, elections expert Rufin Godjo said.

"We have a very strong candidate, a well-known financier, running against another who was chosen by those in power just to maintain appearances," he said.

The main opposition party, the Democrats, was barred from running after failing to gather enough signatures and leading members have since thrown in their lot with Wadagni.

The election comes a mere four months after a failed attempted coup, when soldiers on December 7 stormed into television studios to announce the overthrow of Talon.

Loyal Benin soldiers swiftly thwarted the bid the same day, later with support from French and Nigerian forces, and the country quickly turned a page.

"This was quickly forgotten by most Beninese, who believe that whatever the political complications, they must be resolved through dialogue," political analyst Franck Kinninvo said.

Parliamentary elections were held the following month, in which the Democrats lost all their seats after a routing by Talon's ruling bloc.

'Dialogue' with neighbours

A challenge facing Benin's new president is the ongoing insecurity in the north where jihadists have increasingly targeted soldiers.

The army suffered its deadliest year in 2025, according to ACLED, an NGO that monitors victims of conflict.

Security is even worse across its borders in Burkina Faso and Niger, where the military juntas have adopted a policy of sovereignty and condemn their small neighbour over its close ties with Western powers especially France.

If he becomes president, US- and France-educated Wadagni will maintain those close Western relations but also "restore dialogue" with Niger for a "structural" response to the jihadist attacks, his allies say.

He will also see through big infrastructure projects and continue Talon's focus on promoting tourism, especially historic sites linked to the slave trade.

Wadagni has tried to erase his image as a technocrat, adopting a casual style on the campaign trail, where he vowed to tackle deep poverty especially in rural areas.

"He is a statesman in the making. His relative political discretion can also be a strength. He represents a new generation of leadership, less about rhetoric and more about impact," supporter Lucien Fayomi said.

'Sacred union'

But Talon's tenure has also seen several leading political opponents jailed for years, even decades, by the powerful Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism.

Others have fled into exile, while reforms of political parties have undermined the opposition.

After Sunday, no elections are now planned until 2033 under the latest constitutional reform adopted at the end of last year.

"The goal is to forge a sacred union around the country’s development," Kinninvo, the political analyst, said.

Nevertheless, warned elections expert Godjo, "watch out for the frustrations of those who have no candidate on Sunday".

Talon, 67, insists that he now plans to put his feet up but analysts say he is likely to keep a watchful eye over his legacy under his successor.

"Talon won't be as rude as to give instructions to the new head of state but he will ensure that what he put in place will not be dismantled," Godjo said.