At Stake in this Election:  

• The Presidency of Benin 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: President Patrice Athanase Guillaume TALON (since 6 April 2016) 

• Head of Government: President Patrice Athanase Guillaume TALON (since 6 April 2016) 

• Assembly: legislature comprised of a 109-seat National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) (see 

Electoral System: 

• The President is directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed. Constitutional amendments passed by the National Assembly in 2025 and confirmed by the Constitutional Court in December of the same year extended the presidential term from 5 to 7-Years, after the completion of 2026 election cycles. 

• Members of the National Assembly are directly elected via proportional representation. Constitutional amendments passed by the National Assembly in 2025 and confirmed by the Constitutional Court in December of the same year extend the legislative term from 5 to 7-Years after the completion of 2026 election cycles 

Last Election: 

The last presidential election was held on April 11, 2021. Patrice TALON won 86.3% of the vote, Alassane SOUMANOU won 11.37%, and Corentin KOHOUE won 2.34%. Voter turnout was 51%.  

New/Unique in this Election: 

This is the first presidential election held since a reported coup attempt was launched in late 2025. It is also the first presidential election to be held since the term length for executive offices was expanded from 5 to 7-years. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 14 October 2025 

• Voter registration deadline: n/a 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Romauld WADAGNI 

• • Party: Supported by the ruling coalition, comprised of the Progressive Union for Renewal (UPR) and the Republican Bloc (BR) parties 

• Paul HOUNKPÈ 

• • Party: Forces Cauris pour un Bénin émergent, (FCBE) 

Country Context: 

• Population: 14,462,724 (2024 estimate) 

• Registered Voters: 6,769,817 (2023 estimate) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: 0.501 (2024 estimate) 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Electoral Autocracy (2024 estimate) 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.515, Low, 173 (2023 estimate)  

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 7,210,159 (2024 estimate) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 11 Nov 1981, Ratified 12 Mar 1992 

• Gender Quota:  Yes, 24 seats are exclusively reserved for women. 

• Female Candidates in this election: No 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 29 out of 109 (26.6%) of the National Assembly 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 34.4 (2023 estimate) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 8 Feb 2008, Ratified 5 July 2012 

• Projected population with a disability: 2,314,036 (2024 estimate)