Anxiety Grips Wadagne and Hounkpe as Benin Vote Counting Commences

By Abubakar Hashim

 

Benin conducted a peaceful Presidential election yesterday, and counting of votes has commenced, with results expected in 48 hours.

The next President will be either the current Financial Minister, who has served 10 years, of the ruling coalition party, Romuald Wadagne, or the former Culture Minister, Paul Hounkpe, under former President Yayi Boni.

ECOWAS delegation to the Benin election, comprising 125 members, is led by Ghana’s former President, Nana Akufo-Addo.

ECOWAS is desperately working hard to sustain a smooth democratic transition in Benin, in a region engulfed in military rule, with three countries in military governance: Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Guinea, recently, ushered in a democratic transition from military rule.

ECOWAS intends to score another victory in Benin, which was plagued by a coup attempt by renegade military forces a few months ago.

Eager to sustain democracy in West Africa, the ECOWAS delegation is currently in a situation room, monitoring the counting process in all the polling stations

There were 7.8 million registered voters in a population of 14 million.

Outgoing President Patrice Talon has completed his 10-year mandate.

The constitution was amended to increase the President’s term from 5 to 7 years and the legislature to bi-camera, with a Senate and House of Representatives of 109.