Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou voting yesterday

The results of the Sunday’s presidential poll in Benin Republic would be announced on Wednesday by the Constitutional Court, the country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Oyedekpo Laleye, has said.

Laleye said in  Abuja on Monday that some results of the poll had started trickling in.

“The tentative results are likely to be announced latest Wednesday. The results have started trickling in.

“The electoral commission would compile the preliminary results and forward them with all the reports of the polls to the Constitutional Court.

“It is the constitutional court that would then announce the final result’’, he said.

The envoy said the election was supposed to be a routine exercise because the country normally organises a presidential election every five years.

He, however, said it was important to Benin and the whole world as it portended many things for Benin Republic.

“President Boni Yayi is just completing his two, five-year, terms.

“It is important in the sense that this is a kind of change of baton in the leadership of the democratic process in the country.

“So, we are trying to see who would emerge as the new leader to take over from Dr Yayi’’, he said, adding that the election was an acid-test for the West African nation`s democracy.

“As you know, before Yayi, it was President Matthew Kerekou, who stayed so long in power that people had some fears about the transition.

“But this time, Dr Yayi has successfully completed his two terms. So we are now trying to get another leadership.

“It is actually a kind of test to our democratic system to see how strong it is, how easy it is for him to manage transition or to also manage change of leadership.’’

Laleye had said that 401 out of the 819 registered Beninese voters exercised their franchise on Sunday.

The envoy also said there were polling stations in  Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos for voters resident in Nigeria.

He described the election that took place in polling stations in Nigeria as peaceful and transparent.

*Also read: Zinsou, Patrice Talon go for run-off