Benin’s finance minister, Romuald Wadagni, has been officially confirmed as the winner of the country’s presidential election, the Constitutional Court announced Thursday.
The court confirmed the provisional tally released last week, which gave outgoing president Patrice Talon’s hand-picked successor a landslide victory.
“The court hereby definitively declares Mr. Kossi Mbueke Romuald Wadagni elected president of the Republic, and Ms. Mariam Chabi Talata vice president,” the president of the Constitutional Court, Cossi Dorothe Sossa, announced.
Wadagni will take office on Sunday, May 24, Sossa added.

According to Sossa, the court “has not identified on its own any irregularity of a nature to warrant the annulment of the electoral process” and has recorded no challenges to the provisional results.
He did not give Wadagni’s final tally or voter turnout figures. The provisional results had reported 94 percent and 58.8 percent respectively.
Teacher and former minister Paul Hounkpe was the only opposition candidate. The main opposition party, The Democrats, was unable to take part due to an insufficient number of sponsorships.
Hounkpe, who took just under six percent, conceded defeat before the results were out.
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