President Patrice Talon is running for re-election in Benin, in what has been described as a tense election, with critics accusing him of fixing the vote in his favor by excluding opposition leaders. The US, German, French, and Dutch embassies, as well as the EU delegation, all urged calm and a free and open vote.
Across 15,531 polling stations, over 4.9 million people are registered to vote. The polls opened at 7:00 a.m. (0600 GMT), and the results will not be available until Tuesday.
Patrice Talon, who was first elected in 2016, is up against two unknown opponents, Alassane Soumanou and Corentin Kohoue. Tensions soared in the run-up to the election, with demonstrations erupting in many cities in opposition strongholds. Hundreds of cars and trucks traveling between the coast and the north were blocked by demonstrators in central and northern Benin.
Data Source:Radio France Internationale
