Benin heads to the polls to elect a new president

Voters in Benin headed to the polls to elect a new president on Sunday, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni expected to coast to victory. Nearly eight million voters are eligible to cast ballots to choose a successor to Patrice Talon, Benin's outgoing president who is stepping down after reaching his limit of two five-year terms and surviving a coup attempt last December. Who are the contenders? Talon has endorsed his 49-year-old finance minister Romuald Wadagni to lead the next government. In his previous role, Wadagni oversaw a decade of consistent growth above 6% each year — a legacy he has campaigned on continuing. "We are going to move forward, go even further with what began before your very eyes," he told supporters in Cotonou.Romuald Wadagni has promised to keep up Benin's steady economic growthImage: Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji/AP Photo/picture alliance The main opposition party, the Democrats, is not fielding a candidate after its leader Renaud Agbodjo failed to secure enough parliamentary endorsements get his name on the ballot. The only other candidate on the ballot is Paul Hounkpe of the Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin. Hounkpe has a much lower profile but has argued that growth under Talon and Wadagni has not improved the lives of ordinary Beninese people. "If we make progress but ​none of us can afford three meals a day, we haven't made any progress. Yes or no?" he said at a rally earlier this month.Paul Hounkpe is the only opposition candidate on the ballotImage: Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji/AP Photo/picture alliance Results due within days Benin has for years been among the most stable democracies in Africa, but critics argue that the electoral qualification rules were engineered to sideline rivals to Talon and his chosen successor. Substantial election monitoring delegations have been sent by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and the European Union. The ECOWAS delegation was headed by former Ghanian President Nana Akufo-Addo. "We hope a maximum of Beninese will come out to make their choice today" he told the AFP news agency. Polls are expected to close at 4 p.m. local time with the results expected within 48 hours. Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez