Benin presidential election favourite Romuald Wadagni swept to victory in the country’s polls, securing 94 percent of votes, according to provisional results. The electoral commission published the preliminary tally overnight from Monday to Tuesday, though it has not yet issued final official results.

But Wadagni’s ability to conjure economic growth in the face of jihadist attacks gave him a clear lead, even if the eight million-strong electorate showed scant enthusiasm for either candidate, notably in the West African nation’s cities. Wadagni’s opponent earlier conceded defeat even as votes were still being counted. Opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe offered congratulations to finance minister Wadagni, 49, who had been widely tipped to win after being endorsed by outgoing leader Patrice Talon.

“To… Romuald Wadagni, I offer my republican congratulations. Democracy requires mutual respect and the ability to rise above partisan divides,” Hounkpe said in his concession statement. Talon stood down after two five-year terms since 2016. But in the capital Porto-Novo, turnout for Sunday’s vote ranged from 20 to 40 percent at some polling stations, while life in economic capital Cotonou was largely back to its usual bustle by Monday. The electoral commission, CENA, said voter turnout across the country was 58.75 percent.

Hounkpe ran a low-key campaign and needed the help of the majority of lawmakers to secure the required parliamentary endorsements, even to get on the ballot paper. The main opposition Democrats party did not field a candidate, as its leader, Renaud Agbodjo, failed to secure sufficient endorsements. For the media, in the words of Le Telegramme daily, the election was “generally calm and well-organised”, while Le Matin Libre saw “Wadagni on his way to the Marina,” the presidential palace.

Le Patriote, however, saw “signs of an electoral heist”. “We are waiting for the CENA to confirm in the coming hours what we already knew: the undisputed victory of our candidate,” leading Wadagni supporter Rominus Gnonlonfoun said ahead of the results.

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