Benin awaits presidential result with favourite expected to win

Benin's voters were Monday awaiting the outcome of presidential polls, in which Romuald Wadagni was seen as a frontrunner after being endorsed by outgoing leader Patrice Talon, as votes were tallied.

With Talon handing on the baton after two five-year terms, his finance minister Wadagni was clear favourite having overseen a decade of economic growth despite jihadist attacks -- although opposition groups were still holding out for a win.

The result is not expected to emerge before Tuesday after an eight million-strong electorate turned out, with little enthusiasm notably in the cities, to decide between Talon's choice backed by the two main ruling parties or opposition rank outsider Paul Hounkpe.

In the capital Porto-Novo, participation ranged between a mere 20 and 40 percent for some polling stations.

Hounkpe only made the contest with help from majority lawmakers to secure the required parliamentary endorsements to stand.

The main opposition The Democrats party did not field a candidate as its leader, Renaud Agbodjo, failed to secure sufficient endorsements.

By midday Monday, the economic capital, Cotonou, had generally returned to its usual bustling rhythms with shops and businesses reopening after having closed for polling day, an AFP journalist observed.

For the media, in the words of Le Telegramme daily, the election was "generally calm and well-organised," while Le Matin Libre saw "Wadagni on his way to the Marina," the presidential palace.

Le Patriote, however, saw "signs of an electoral heist."

"We are waiting for the CENA (electoral commission) to confirm in the coming hours what we already knew: the undisputed victory of our candidate," exulted Rominus Gnonlonfoun, a leading Wadagni supporter.

Jean de Dieu Hadjinou, a member of Hounkpe's party, said he did not trust "either social media or the premature celebrations of a camp that is already claiming victory."

For Alimata, a lock seller in the Gbegemey neighbourhood, "if this election or Wadagni's arrival can change our lives, we shall be happy but for now, we have to find a way to feed the family.

Earlier Monday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) election observation mission praised "a peaceful atmosphere" and "the smooth running of the election."