This Sunday, just four months after a failed coup, Benin heads to the polls for a presidential election that feels more like a coronation than a contest. The winner of Sunday’s election will have the chance to run for two seven-year terms instead, after a controversial constitutional amendment elongated presidential tenures. According to the investigative newsletter Africa Confidential, the path to a Wadagni win was cleared with ruthless efficiency as other possible contenders were sidelined, placated or removed. The main opposition to Wadagni is the former culture minister Paul Hounkpè of Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE), a fringe opposition party. “It proves that the 2026 election is being organised to exclude any serious challenger to the ruling power.”

Source: The Guardian April 12, 2026 07:11 UTC