Sawt Falasteen - Benin elects presidential favourite Romuald Wadagni: provisional results

The electoral commission published the preliminary tally overnight Monday to Tuesday, though it has not yet issued final official results.

But Wadagni's ability to conjure economic growth in the face of jihadist attacks gave him a clear lead, even if the eight million-strong electorate showed scant enthusiasm for either candidate, notably in the West African nation's cities.

Wadagni's opponent earlier conceded defeat even as votes were still being counted.

Opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe offered congratulations to finance minister Wadagni, 49, who had been widely tipped to win after being endorsed by outgoing leader Patrice Talon.

"To... Romuald Wadagni, I offer my republican congratulations. Democracy requires mutual respect and the ability to rise above partisan divides," Hounkpe said in his concession statement.

Talon stood down after two five-year terms since 2016. But in the capital Porto-Novo, turnout for Sunday's vote ranged from 20 to 40 percent at some polling stations, while life in economic capital Cotonou was largely back to its usual bustle by Monday.

The electoral commission CENA said voter turnout across the country was 58.75 percent.

Hounkpe ran a low-key campaign and needed the help of majority lawmakers to secure the required parliamentary endorsements even to get on the ballot paper.

The main opposition Democrats party did not field a candidate as its leader, Renaud Agbodjo, failed to secure sufficient endorsements.

For the media, in the words of Le Telegramme daily, the election was "generally calm and well-organised," while Le Matin Libre saw "Wadagni on his way to the Marina," the presidential palace.

Le Patriote, however, saw "signs of an electoral heist."

"We are waiting for the CENA to confirm in the coming hours what we already knew: the undisputed victory of our candidate," leading Wadagni supporter Rominus Gnonlonfoun said ahead of the results.

- Challenges ahead -

Jean de Dieu Hadjinou, a member of Hounkpe's party, said he did not trust "either social media or the premature celebrations of a camp that is already claiming victory."

For Alimata, a lock seller in the Gbegemey neighbourhood, "if this election or Wadagni's arrival can change our lives, we shall be happy but for now, we have to find a way to feed the family".

Earlier, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) election observation mission praised "a peaceful atmosphere" and "the smooth running of the election."

The head of Benin's electoral commission, Sacca Lafia, said the election had taken place peacefully, although an electoral monitoring platform set up by civil society groups reported around one hundred incident "alerts".

The cases involved voting stations that had opened early or where voting boxes appeared full before the start of voting.

Wadagni embodies continuity with the Talon era, which has seen Benin enjoy rapid economic growth, an expansion in tourism and the completion of numerous infrastructure projects.

But major challenges remain, including a huge wealth gap. The poverty rate is estimated at more than 30 percent and many people feel they have not felt the benefits of economic growth.

Benin's growth will also depend on security, with the country's north plagued by increasingly deadly jihadist violence, carried out mainly by Al-Qaeda's Sahel branch, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

The next elections are not until 2033, as a constitutional reform passed last year has extended the presidential term from five years to seven and synchronised all elections to take place then.

V.Said--SF-PST