BY LOU SIFA

It’s a done deal. The minister of Economy and Finance of Benin, Romuald Wadagni, 49, is the winner of the presidential election held on Sunday, April 12, poised to be sworn in on May 24 as the fifth president of Benin since the small French-speaking West African nation led the pro-democracy movement in Africa in the early 1990s.

According to the preliminary results announced tonight by Sacca Lafia, the president of the National Independent Electoral Commission, CENA, Mr. Wadagni and his running mate, Mariam Chabi Talata, 62, received 94.05% of the votes, and their opponents, Paul Hounkpe and Rock Judicaël Hounwanou, received 5.95%. This is based on a little over 90% of the votes being counted.

There was not a shred of doubt that Wadagni, a Harvard Business School graduate, would be the winner. Not because of his impressive resume, but because he was handpicked by the outgoing president, Patrice Talon, and faced a quasi-unknown opponent who declared himself a “moderate opposition candidate.” As a result of complex circumstances, the more vigorous opposition party, The Democrats, led by former President Yayi Boni, had no candidate to contest the election.

With the absolute certainty of Wadagni’s victory, the legitimacy of the election hinges on the turnout rate. According to the electoral commission, the turnout rate was 58.75 percent. While Wadagni’s political opponent calmly and immediately conceded defeat after an election that was largely peaceful, as is usually the case in Benin—with the exception of the 2019 legislative election—members of the opposition, especially in the diaspora, cried foul about the turnout rate. They claim, with no way of proving it, that it is no higher than 15%.

No doubt, the most aggressive opposition came from BoycottBenin 2026, a massive diaspora movement created by Omar Arouna, former Ambassador of Benin to the United States and a staunch opponent to President Talon. The movement boasts 2000 members on TikTok and 700 on WhatsApp. But the non-stop posting on the groups—to which The African Magazine was added—gives the impression of a larger membership.

Thanks to its presumed representatives in Benin, BoycottBenin 2026 claimed victory before the votes were tallied, with this message for the would-be president: “Even if they proclaim you President tonight, wake up to this reality: Patrice Talon is handing you a hot potato—on every front. And your only way out is a complete 360-degree turn.”

The preliminary results announced tonight by the CENA will be reviewed by the Constitutional Court which, no doubt, will validate them and usher in a new administration once President-elect Romuald Wadagni is sworn on May 24.

Thanks to the impressive credentials he earned around the world, including in the United States, and his record as Economy and Finance Minister, Wadagni is well equipped to build on outgoing President Talon’s unprecedented record in terms of infrastructural buildup and economic achievements. During the electoral campaign, candidate Romuald Wadagni promised, among other things, to uplift the youth and to turn the economic achievements into social victory.

On March 21, during a massive rally held in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city and economic hub, one of the most competent Economy and Finance ministers in Benin’s history, acknowledged the complaints of the youth, who represent 60% of Benin’s population: “More and more, we hear the growing impatience of the youth; more and more, we hear the people who have difficulty managing the most basic daily problems.” In the speech that was viewed as the core of his plan for the nation if elected, Wadagni also said: “Given the demographics and the number of young people seeking employment, it is essential that each region has at least one industrial unit.” He then went on to say, “We will ensure that you young people, wherever you are in Benin, have an ecosystem that allows you to train, be mentored, and develop all your skills in the digital field.”