Romuald Wadagni has won Benin’s presidential election with 94.27 per cent of valid votes, according to results announced by the Constitutional Court on April 16.
The vote, held on April 12, delivered a first-round victory for Wadagni, who defeated opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe, who secured only 5.73 per cent. Wadagni and his running mate, Mariam Chabi Talata, obtained over 4.57 million votes, while their opponents polled just over 278,000.
Voter turnout stood at 63.57 per cent, with more than 4.85 million ballots cast out of approximately 7.89 million registered voters. Earlier figures released on April 14 by the electoral commission had already indicated a commanding lead for Wadagni.
A former investment professional with Deloitte, the 49-year-old has served as Benin’s Minister of Economy and Finance since 2016 under President Patrice Talon, playing a pivotal role in shaping the country’s economic reforms. Under Benin’s electoral framework, the President and Vice-President are elected by universal suffrage for a seven-year term.