COTONOU, April 12 (Reuters) – Benin’s long-serving finance minister Romuald Wadagni is expected to coast to victory in a presidential election on Sunday, buoyed by strong economic growth and the absence of a credible challenger even as fears grow over the threat posed by jihadists in the north.
President Patrice Talon, who has ruled the West African nation since 2016 but is unable to seek a third term under the constitution, selected Wadagni to succeed him. That means he has the backing of the dominant ruling coalition in the race, which is taking place four months after Talon’s government narrowly survived a coup attempt nL6N3XE0R9.
Wadagni, a 49-year-old former Deloitte executive nL8N40M0M5, has promised upon taking office to deliver on bread-and-butter issues like expanding access to potable water and guaranteeing emergency healthcare regardless of ability to pay.
He will also face pressure from the public to address the country’s security problems. Benin has been the hardest hit nL8N3ZU1IX among coastal West African states by jihadist groups that have made major gains in the central Sahel.
Polls are scheduled to open at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and close at 4 p.m (1500 GMT). More than 7.9 million people are registered to vote, including 62,000 in the diaspora. Provisional results are expected on Tuesday.
OPPONENT SAYS GAINS FROM GROWTH ARE LIMITED
The main opposition party, The Democrats, failed to get enough lawmakers to sponsor a candidate of its own and did not back the only other candidate on the ballot: Paul Hounkpe of the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin, which was once the ruling party but now commands a smaller following.
Hounkpe says growth under Talon and Wadagni has not improved the lives of most of Benin’s nearly 15 million people.
“If we make progress but none of us can afford three meals a day, we haven’t made any progress. Yes or no?” he said at a rally earlier this month.
He has also decried what he describes as a climate of fear as political space for the opposition shrinks, with the ruling coalition holding every seat in the National Assembly.
On the campaign trail, many prospective voters have spoken of the presidential election as a formality and urged Wadagni to deliver on his platform.
“Once President Romuald Wadagni is at the head of this country, I would like him to promote and help young people to find work because we have many young graduates on the streets driving ‘zem’,” said 34-year-old teacher Marcel Sovi, using a local slang word for motorcycle taxis.
Christelle Tessi, a 40-year-old trader, said Wadagni should focus on improving security in the north, where al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin killed 54 Benin soldiers nL8N3R12O6 in one attack a year ago and another 15 in an attack last month.
“What is happening in northern Benin is that our brothers are being killed, and if a soldier goes there on a mission, it is his body that comes back,” she said.
“We beg him to fight against these bandits so that peace may reign in our country.”
(Reporting by Pulcherie Adjoha; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet)
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