Benin holds a presidential election on April 12, 2026, with only two candidates on the ballot for eight million eligible voters, four months after a failed military coup in December 2025 that left about 100 alleged plotters in jail. Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, 49, backed by the governing alliance that controls all 109 National Assembly seats, is favored to succeed President Patrice Talon, who is constitutionally barred after two terms that saw the economy grow 7 percent in 2025 and the national budget triple. Opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe, 56, pledges to reduce prices and release political prisoners amid accusations from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that Talon's government has cracked down on dissent. The election occurs as jihadist groups from the Sahel increasingly attack northern Benin, including a 2025 assault that killed 54 soldiers, while constitutional reforms in November 2025 extended presidential terms to seven years and raised barriers for opposition parties.
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