Benin's election this Sunday will decide who takes over from President Patrice Talon after a decade in power. With only two candidates running and authorities clamping down on critics, the prospects for change are limited.
After two five-year terms in office, Talon is barred by the constitution from standing again.
The favourite to replace him is the ruling coalition's candidate, Romuald Wadagni. Currently finance minister, he is credited with helping bring about the strong economic growth Benin has recorded over the past 10 years.
Wadagni's only opponent is Paul Hounkpe, the leader of relatively small opposition party FCBE and a former culture minister.
Benin's main opposition party, the Democrats, is not on the ballot after failing to get enough lawmakers to endorse him to run.
The party lost all its seat in parliament in elections in January, the month after an attempted coup was stopped from overthrowing Talon.
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Shrinking civic space
The coup attempt triggered "severe restrictions" on civil liberties that were already under pressure, according to Nelson Baiye Mbu, a human rights expert specialising in West Africa at Civicus, an alliance of civil society organisations that monitors civil space worldwide.
Since December's thwarted coup, authorities have used a special court designed to handle economic crimes and terrorism to prosecute journalists, critics and ordinary citizens who commented on the attempt, Mbu told RFI.
It continues a pattern of repression going further back, he said.
Since the court was created in 2018, authorities in Benin have stepped up the prosecution of critics, according to the researcher, using laws criminalising fake news and online harassment to arrest prominent journalists including Hugues Comlan Sossoukpe, whose news site was banned last year for publishing "subversive" allegations.
"Other social media users face charges, including for incitement to rebellion and harassment by electronic means," Mbu added.
Electoral reform
Since taking office in 2016, Talon has also overseen changes to Benin's political system.
Reforms to the electoral code in 2024 raised the threshold for parties to win seats in parliament, requiring them to take 20 percent of votes in a district instead of 10 percent previously. This has contributed to "limiting space for political participation", Mbu said.
In November 2025, a constitutional reform extended the terms of both the president and MPs from five to seven years – meaning this will be the last election until 2033. It also established an upper house of parliament that is partially appointed by the head of state.
Civicus recently added Benin to its watchlist for the erosion of democratic rights, citing arbitrary arrests, suspension of media outlets and bans on protest.
"What is notable about Benin is the particular combination of electoral restrictions, the use of the Court for the Repression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism to prosecute expression-related offences and the restrictive digital provisions," Mbu said.
"This constellation of factors creates a particular constraint on civil space that we are monitoring very closely."
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Rising insecurity
Over the past decade, Benin has developed one of the strongest rates of economic growth rates in West Africa.
Its economy grew 7 percent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund, largely thanks to cotton production, trade and expansion of the port of Cotonou.
With jihadist attacks intensifying in the north of Benin, the new president will also face pressure to resolve insecurity.
The country has long faced spillover violence in the area as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger battle extremists linked to Al-Qaeda. Both those countries are now led by military juntas, which have pulled back from cross-border cooperation.
