Former Finance Minister expected to win poll

Polling stations closed in Benin as people in the West African nation voted for a new President yesterday, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni expected to coast to victory, reports DW. Nearly 8m voters were eligible to cast ballots to choose a successor to Patrice Talon, Benin's outgoing President who is stepping down after reaching his limit of two five-year terms and surviving a coup attempt last December. Talon has endorsed 49-year-old Wadagni to lead the next government. In his previous role, Wadagni oversaw a decade of consistent growth above 6% each year – a legacy he has campaigned on continuing. The main opposition party, the Democrats, did not field a candidate after its leader Renaud Agbodjo failed to secure enough parliamentary endorsements to get his name on the ballot. The only other candidate on the ballot is Paul Hounkpe of the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin. Hounkpe has a much lower profile but has argued that growth under Talon and Wadagni has not improved the lives of ordinary Beninese people. Benin has for years been among the most stable democracies in Africa, but critics argue that the electoral qualification rules were engineered to sideline rivals to Talon and his chosen successor. Substantial election monitoring delegations have been sent by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the African Union and the European Union. The Ecowas delegation was headed by former Ghanian President Nana Akufo-Addo.