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Romuald Wadagni: Di 49-year-old chartered accountant wey be Benin next president
Benin Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni don win di presidency wit very wide margin, provisional results show.
E secure more dan 94% of di vote, based on 90% of ballots dem don count, wey dey sufficient for an "irreversible" outcome, di electoral commission tok based on preliminary figures.
Sacca Lafia, head of Benin independent electoral commission, announce on national television late on Monday night say di result na based on more dan 90 percent of votes counted.
49-year-old Wadagni bicom di favourite to win afta di main opposition party, di Democrats, fail to put dia own candidate on top di ballot paper.
Dis leave Paul Hounkpè as di sole challenger, and e don concede defeat on Monday as dem dey count di votes.
Profile: Romuald Wadagni
Dem born Romuald Wadagni for 20 June , 1976 for Lokossa (Benin).
E bin serve as Senior Minister in charge of Economy and Finance of Benin. President Patrice Talon appoint am first for 7 April 2016 and reappoint am for May 2021.
E bin also serve as World Bank govnor. Previously, e work as partner and CEO of Deloitte France and Deloitte Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
Wadagni graduate from di Harvard Business School and from Ecole Supérieure des Affaires of Grenoble, France. E be Chartered Accountant for France and Certified Public Accountant for di United States.
Beyond Benin, Romuald Wadagni play ogbonge major role for di West African stage. E serve as di Chairman of di Statutory Council of WAEMU Finance Ministers, e lead negotiations wit France and sign di agreement for December 2019 and end di franc CFA for West Africa.
Challenges bifor di president-elect
In di absence of a credible opposition, many see di election as a formality.
Di new president go have to deal wit worsening insecurity and serious poverty, especially for di kontri north.
Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group JNIM bin kill 54 sojas for April last year, wit similar attack wey kill 15 more pipo last month.
Di deteriorating security situation na one of di main reasons sojas cite for attempting a coup four months ago.
Benin, kontri wit a population of 15 million, na one of West Africa more stable democracies, for region wia several military coups don happun in recent years.
Di inauguration of di new president go follow di elections wey hapun on Sunday, April 12, 2026, wey be di final step in a process wey dem dey most times conclude by di end of dat month.
