Benin votes for new president as incumbent Thomas Boni Yayi, steps down

Benin began counting votes after an election on Sunday to choose a successor to President Thomas Boni Yayi, who is stepping down after 2 terms, leaving 33 candidates to compete for the presidency in the West African country.

Leading the field is Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou, a former economist and investment banker backed by both Boni Yayi and the main opposition Democratic Renewal Party.

Zinsou has promised to restructure the economy, aid small businesses, improve access to micro-credit and create more jobs, especially for young people.

“I am proud of the conditions in which the campaign took place. It was a peaceful campaign and an exercise in democracy,” Zinsou said as he voted in the capital.

Local media later said provisional results showed that Zinsou would advance to a run-off election, having gained a plurality of the votes, and would face prominent businessman Patrice Talon.

There were no results yet from the national electoral commission.

Benin produces cotton, but its economy is flagging, in part because falling oil prices have hit its neighbor Nigeria, its largest trading partner. A big choice facing voters was who would best create jobs and improve education.

Some polling stations in the capital stayed open beyond the set closing time to allow people already in line to cast their ballots, a witness said.

The election reinforces Benin’s credentials as a democratic country. Benin was west African country to move from dictatorship and single-party rule to multi-party democracy when it held elections in 1991.

“With my departure our democracy will take one further step forward – I leave the republic with national unity,” Boni Yayi said as he cast his ballot.

Source: Agencies