Cotonou – Benin’s electoral commission said on Thursday it had excluded the main opposition candidate from standing in next April’s presidential election, opening the way for the ruling coalition to retain power.
The CENA rejected the candidacy of Renaud Agbodjo, the representative of the main opposition Democrats party, on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.
The move is expected to benefit Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, the candidate for the multi-party alliance of current President Patrice Talon, which has a majority of seats in parliament.
Talon, who has been in power since 2016, is not seeking re-election, having reached his two-term limit.
Wadagni, 49, is widely seen as one of Talon’s closest collaborators.
Just one other candidate has qualified so far for the presidential election – Paul Hounkpe of the smaller opposition FCBE.
Agbodjo had been selected by the Democrats as their candidate earlier this month.
The 43-year-old lawyer can appeal against the decision to exclude him from the race before the final candidates’ list is published on October 31.
To be eligible to stand, all candidates must be sponsored by at least 28 sitting members of parliament.
The Democrats have exactly 28 MPs. But the CENA said one of them, Michel Sodjinou, had submitted an “invalid” sponsorship, leaving Agbodjo with just 27 backers.
Last week, Sodjinou had contested the Democrats’ choice of Agbodjo as its candidate and challenged it in court.
Central government figure
Agbodjo is close to Democrats leader and former president Thomas Boni Yayi, who was head of state for a decade until 2016 and cannot stand again as he is aged over 70.
Wagdani, the leading presidential candidate, is a central figure in Talon’s governing coalition.
The former Deloitte audit and consulting executive, who studied in France and the United States, was appointed economy minister in 2016.
Over the past decade, Benin has seen robust growth, regularly exceeding six percent annually.
🇧🇯🗳️Le principal parti d’opposition au #Benin est en pleine tourmente à six mois de la présidentielle.
Un de ses députés a saisi la justice pour faire annuler son parrainage.
Correspondance @EmmanuelleSodji ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Kf18vXiAub
— Le Journal de l’Afrique – France 24 (@JTAfrique) October 19, 2025
Wadagni, a proponent of fiscal discipline, advocated restructuring African debt during the COVID pandemic, rather than calling for it to be cancelled — earning the backing of international investors.
For some years now, Talon has involved his economy minister in discussions over defence matters, a crucial sector for the small west African country, which has faced jihadist incursions in the north.
In the last presidential election in 2016, Talon won more than 86 percent of the vote.
Most prominent opposition figures were excluded from standing and violence ensued, mainly in Boni Yayi’s home region of central Benin.
Talon has been praised for Benin’s economic development. But critics say he has become increasingly autocratic.
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Source: AFP
