Benin will elect a new president on Sunday in a contest that appears to favour the governing party’s chosen successor after a decade in power. Outgoing President Patrice Talon, 67, is constitutionally barred from a third term. His tenure brought significant economic gains but also a tightening of political space and a crackdown on critics.
The coastal West African nation of about 14 million people has seen an uptick in violence in its north as Sahel-based armed groups push toward the Atlantic. Benin, bordered by Nigeria to the east and Togo to the west, has attracted more tourists and members of the African diaspora to its beaches. French is the official language; local languages include Fon, Yoruba, Bariba and Fulfulde.
What’s happening?
About eight million eligible voters will choose a president for a seven-year term. Candidates must win at least 50 percent of votes to avoid a runoff; otherwise a second round will be held on May 10. Only two candidates appear on the ballot after the main opposition, the Democrats, failed to secure enough lawmakers to sponsor a candidate and did not win any seats in January’s parliamentary elections.
Supporters of the governing alliance see the vote as likely to be a comfortable win for its candidate. Observers note, however, that a low turnout could complicate perceptions of legitimacy — turnout was about 50 percent in the last election.
Who is running?
Romuald Wadagni: The 49-year-old finance minister is the candidate of the governing alliance between the Progressive Union Renewal (UPR) and the Republican Bloc (BR). A former Deloitte executive, Wadagni has been endorsed by Talon, whom he describes in close personal terms. He campaigns on continuity, citing a decade of economic transformation: a tripling of the national budget and some of Benin’s strongest GDP growth in over 20 years. Wadagni proposes expanding development hubs, widening healthcare access, and has promised municipal police forces to better guard northern border towns.
Paul Hounkpe: The 56-year-old is the sole opposing candidate, representing the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE). A former teacher and culture minister under ex-president Thomas Boni Yayi, Hounkpe was a vice-presidential candidate in 2021. Seen as a moderate, he has pledged to lower the price of basic goods and to seek the release of opponents jailed under Talon’s administration. He criticises the current government for sidelining citizens despite headline economic projects and growing tourism.
Key issues
Economic continuity and inequality
Sustained economic growth is one of Talon’s main selling points. The IMF estimated Benin’s economy grew about 7 percent in 2025, buoyed by trade, agriculture and infrastructure investments such as port expansions in Cotonou. Voters will weigh whether to keep policies that promoted growth. Critics note that benefits have not been evenly distributed: rural areas, particularly in the north, remain poor and feel left behind by flashy urban projects.
Security and stability
Security in northern Benin has deteriorated as armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL expand from the Sahel. In December a group of military officers attempted but failed to seize power; roughly 100 people accused of plotting the coup remain in detention awaiting trial. The coup leaders cited worsening security in the north, where communities face attacks and soldiers have complained of neglect. An attack by the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM) on military posts last year killed 54 soldiers; another attack last month killed 15. The northern border area, near the tri-border zone, remains a hotspot, and strained relations or a lack of security cooperation with neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso — both now run by military governments — have compounded the problem. Candidates are proposing different approaches to restoring security; the governing candidate emphasises creating municipal police and strengthening defenses.
Shrinking democratic space
Talon’s decade in power has coincided with measures critics say reduce political freedom. Authorities shut down cost-of-living protests in April 2024. A constitutional reform in November extended presidential terms from five to seven years and gave the president power to nominate Senate candidates, changes opponents say raise barriers to political competition. January’s parliamentary election resulted in Talon’s allied parties winning all 109 seats in the National Assembly. Rights organisations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented what they call a crackdown on dissent: arbitrary detentions, restrictions on demonstrations and pressure on independent media. Opposition figures and civil society view these developments as a backsliding from Benin’s earlier reputation as one of West Africa’s more stable democracies.
What’s at stake
Voters are choosing between continuity and limited change amid competing anxieties: maintaining macroeconomic growth and large infrastructure projects, addressing persistent poverty and regional inequalities, confronting a growing security threat in the north, and deciding the country’s course on democratic freedoms. The outcome will shape how Benin balances economic ambitions, civic space and national security in the years ahead.