Benin election favours continuity amid al-Qaeda attacks, poverty

Benin was voting for a new president on Sunday, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni a shoo-in after overseeing a decade of economic growth in the West African country despite jihadist attacks in the north.Nearly eight million voters are eligible to cast ballots to choose a successor to Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after two five-year terms and has endorsed Wadagni as his successor.Turnout will be a crucial factor after a lacklustre campaign hit by voter apathy.“We must vote to ensure a high turnout,” said Yvan Glidja, a man in his 30s who turned up early at a school-turned-polling station in the commercial capital Cotonou to vote for Wadagni.Backed by the two main ruling parties, Wadagni is being challenged by Paul Hounkpe, an opposition figure whose campaign has been very low-key and who needed help from majority lawmakers to secure the required parliamentary endorsements to get on the ballot.“There cannot be any real enthusiasm; for that, you would need debate and each side would have to believe in its chances,” said Rufin Godjo, a political analyst.