Benin confirms Wadagni's presidential vote win

Benin's finance minister Romuald Wadagni was officially confirmed to have won the west African country's presidential election, according to final results on Thursday.

The Constitutional Court confirmed the provisional tally announced last week, which gave outgoing president Patrice Talon's hand-picked successor a landslide win.

Many observers believe that the outcome of the April 12 vote was a foregone conclusion.

Teacher and former minister Paul Hounkpe was the only opposition candidate, while the main opposition party, The Democrats, was unable to take part due to an insufficient number of sponsorships.

"The court hereby definitively declares Mr. Kossi Mbueke Romuald Wadagni elected president of the Republic, and Ms. Mariam Chabi Talata vice president," the president of the Constitutional Court, Cossi Dorothe Sossa, announced at the institution's headquarters.

Wadagni will take office on Sunday, May 24, Sossa added.

According to him, the court "has not identified on its own any irregularity of a nature to warrant the annulment of the electoral process" and has recorded no challenges to the provisional results.

He did not give Wadagni's final tally or voter turnout figures, which the provisional results had reported at 94 and 58.8 percent respectively.

Hounkpe, who took just under six percent, conceded defeat before the results were out.

Under Wadagni's 10-year stint as finance minister, Benin's public finances have been cleaned up and the deficit cut by a third to reach three percent of GDP.

He embodies continuity with the Talon era, which has seen the country enjoy rapid economic growth, an expansion in tourism and the completion of numerous infrastructure projects.

He nonetheless faces major challenges, including a huge wealth gap and insecurity in the north due to attacks blamed on jihadist groups.