Resolution Criteria

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Benin on 12 April 2026, with a second round organized within fifteen days if no candidate receives a majority in the first round. This market resolves to the individual who is formally declared elected as President of Benin following the 2026 presidential election. Resolution will be based on official results from the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (https://www.cena.bj/) and the Constitutional Court of Benin.

Background

President Patrice Talon, currently serving his second and final constitutional term, has repeatedly stated that he does not intend to amend the constitution to seek re-election. In September 2025 the ruling coalition nominated Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni as a candidate, and CENA later declared that only Wadagni and Paul Hounkpè, and their running mates, met the requirements to run. Renaud Agbodjo, the leader of Benin's largest opposition party, Les Démocrates, was barred from competing by the Constitutional Court on the grounds that he did not obtain a sufficient number of endorsements from members of parliament. In January 2026 parliamentary elections, parties supportive of President Talon won all 109 seats in the National Assembly.

Considerations

An attempted coup by military officers occurred on December 7, 2025, with several people killed before the coup plotters were apprehended or chased away by loyalist troops with support from ECOWAS forces. Stabilizing northern Benin will be a central priority for the winning candidate, and the credibility of the electoral process will be integral to mobilizing popular support needed to combat the militant threat.

This description was generated by AI.