Former finance minister Romuald Wadagni has officially assumed office as the new president of Benin, succeeding his longtime political ally and former boss, Patrice Talon.
Wadagni was inaugurated on Sunday after securing a landslide victory in the April 12 presidential election, where he won 94 percent of the votes cast. His only challenger, Paul Hounkpe, suffered a heavy defeat, with his party later aligning with Wadagni’s camp in parliament.
The country’s main opposition platform, the Democrats party, was absent from the race after failing to secure enough endorsements and facing internal divisions ahead of the election.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Cotonou, Wadagni pledged to govern with honesty and responsibility.
“I will serve Benin with integrity, courage and commitment,” Wadagni said.
“I will serve with the constant knowledge that power is never a personal privilege,” he added.
The 49-year-old economist now takes charge of a nation that has recorded strong economic growth over the past decade, although concerns remain over widening inequality and rising insecurity in the northern part of the country linked to jihadist attacks.
Following a constitutional amendment last year, Wadagni will serve a seven-year term instead of the previous five-year mandate. Benin’s constitution still limits presidents to a maximum of two terms in office.
During his decade-long tenure as finance minister, Wadagni earned praise for reforms that strengthened public finances and reduced the country’s budget deficit to about three percent of GDP.
Beyond the economy, the new president said his administration would confront growing insecurity in northern Benin, where attacks have been blamed largely on the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, also known as JNIM.
“Benin will not give in to fear nor complacency. The government will be firm against all those who threaten our unity and security,” he said.
Wadagni is also expected to work on improving relations with neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, both currently led by military governments and facing Islamist insurgencies.
In what observers described as a positive sign of easing tensions, Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, attended the inauguration ceremony in Cotonou.