Opposition candidate concedes defeat to Wadagni in Benin presidential race

COTONOU, April 13 (Reuters) – The sole opposition candidate in Benin’s presidential election, Paul Hounkpe, has conceded defeat to Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni following the vote in the West African country, state television reported on Monday.

A 49-year-old former Deloitte executive, Wadagni nL8N40M0M5 is the chosen successor of outgoing President Patrice Talon and had the backing of the ruling coalition in Sunday’s election, which took place four months after the government was nearly toppled in a coup attempt nL6N3XE0R9.

The opposition candidate, Paul Hounkpe of the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin party, acknowledged his defeat in a statement on Monday before provisional results were announced, according to a social media post by the state television network.

Wadagni was the overwhelming favourite after the main opposition party, The Democrats, failed to get enough lawmakers to sponsor a candidate of its own and did not back Hounkpe.

SECURITY AND POVERTY ARE KEY CHALLENGES

Wadagni will come under pressure to bolster the country’s defences in the north, which faces a growing threat from jihadist groups based in the central Sahel.

The disgruntled soldiers who staged the December coup attempt said they were partly motivated by deteriorating security conditions there.

“A stable transition in Benin is important not only for the country itself but also for the broader West Africa region, given the political instability caused by successive coups in the Sahel,” said Heni Nsaibia, senior West Africa analyst for Armed ⁠Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict monitoring group.

“It is therefore especially necessary to focus efforts on stabilizing the north, preventing further upheaval, and demonstrating a model of stability for the broader region.”

Wadagni has also vowed to deliver on bread-and-butter issues like expanding access to clean water, expanding social security programmes and ​guaranteeing emergency healthcare regardless of ability to pay.

On the campaign trail, Hounkpe said high-profile tourism projects and impressive GDP growth under Talon and Wadagni had not improved the lives of most people.  

He has also decried what he described as a climate of fear as political space for ​the opposition shrinks, with the ruling coalition holding every seat in the National Assembly.

(Reporting by Pulcherie Adjoha; Writing by Robbie Corey-BouletEditing by Bate Felix and Keith Weir)