Benin is choosing a new president in an election that appears to favor the candidate endorsed by the governing coalition after a decade of rule by Patrice Talon. Talon, 67, cannot run again under the constitution. His time in office brought notable economic expansion alongside a steady narrowing of political space and a tougher approach to critics.
The country of roughly 14 million people on the Gulf of Guinea has seen growing tourist numbers and interest from the African diaspora, while French is the official language and local tongues such as Fon, Yoruba, Bariba and Fulfulde are widely spoken. Bordering Nigeria to the east and Togo to the west, Benin has also faced rising insecurity in its northern regions as Sahel-based armed groups press closer to the coast.
The vote and the ballot
About eight million eligible voters are registered to pick a president for a seven-year term. A candidate must secure more than 50 percent of votes to win outright; otherwise a runoff is scheduled for May 10. Only two names appear on the ballot after the main opposition movement, the Democrats, failed to win enough parliamentary sponsors and the January legislative elections returned no opposition lawmakers. Observers expect the governing alliance’s nominee to lead comfortably, but a low turnout — about 50 percent in the last presidential election — could raise questions about the winner’s mandate.
The contenders
Romuald Wadagni: The 49-year-old finance minister represents the governing alliance between the Progressive Union Renewal (UPR) and the Republican Bloc (BR). A former Deloitte executive, Wadagni is openly backed by Talon and emphasizes continuity. He points to a decade of economic transformation — including a substantial increase in the national budget and some of the country’s strongest GDP growth in decades — and proposes expanding development hubs, widening access to healthcare, and creating municipal police units to bolster security in northern border towns.
Paul Hounkpe: The 56-year-old candidate from the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) is the election’s sole challenger. A former teacher and culture minister under ex-president Thomas Boni Yayi, Hounkpe ran as a vice-presidential candidate in 2021. Seen as a moderate, he promises to tackle the rising cost of living, lower prices for basic goods, and push for the release of opponents detained under Talon’s government. He criticizes the administration for prioritizing visible urban projects while leaving many citizens, especially in rural areas, feeling sidelined.
Major issues deciding the vote
Economic continuity versus distribution: Benin has recorded strong macroeconomic performance in recent years. The IMF estimated growth near 7 percent in 2025, fuelled by trade, agriculture and infrastructure work such as port expansions in Cotonou. Voters must weigh whether to keep policies that have accelerated growth and large projects, or to demand more equitable distribution of those gains — rural and northern communities remain significantly poorer than urban centers.
Security and the Sahel spillover: Northern Benin has experienced an uptick in violence as militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL move south from the Sahel. Last year, an assault by a JNIM-linked group killed dozens of soldiers; other recent attacks have also caused military and civilian casualties. In December, a failed coup attempt saw dozens arrested and roughly 100 people detained pending trial, with the plotters citing worsening northern insecurity. Tensions with neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, both governed by military regimes, have complicated regional cooperation on security.
Democratic space and political freedoms: Over Talon’s decade in power, critics say authorities have tightened control over dissent. Protests over the cost of living were broken up in April 2024. A constitutional change in November extended presidential terms from five to seven years and gave the president the power to nominate Senate candidates — moves opponents say weaken political competition. January’s parliamentary election produced a legislature with all 109 seats held by parties allied with the president. Human rights groups have documented arrests, limits on demonstrations and pressure on independent media, leading many observers to view Benin as drifting away from its earlier reputation for democratic resilience in West Africa.
What’s at stake
Voters are effectively choosing whether to continue the current model of rapid economic investment and centralized governance, or to push for reforms that would address regional inequality, restore broader political space and adopt different security strategies for the north. The result will shape Benin’s balance between economic ambition, civic freedoms and national security for years to come.