Claims:
- The opposition candidate got less than two percents of the votes
- Spoiled ballots were more than opposition candidate ballots
Full Text: Edwin Melvin Snowe, Bomi County Senator, in a radio appearance on April 27 made the above two claims about the Benin election.
Snowe served as head of the ECOWAS Parliament Election Observation Mission, covering the presidential election in Benin.
The Benin Presidential election was held April 12 where 7.89 million voters were registered nationwide.
There were two candidates in the elections: former Culture Minister Paul Hounkpe, who was the opposition candidate who was defeated and Romuald Wadagni, who served as Minister of Economy and Finance prior to the elections and who is expected to be inaugurated on May 24, 2026.
Under Benin's electoral code, the president and vice president are elected by direct universal suffrage for a seven-year term.
Verification: The Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) proclaimed that Wadagni received 94.27% of the votes cast while Hounkpe received 5.95%.
The Constitutional Court, Benin's highest authority on electoral disputes, said Wadagni and his running mate Mariam Chabi Talata won 4,575,449 votes, while Hounkpe and Rock Judicael Hounwanou received 278,297 votes. Talata will serve as vice president.
The court said that more than 7.89 million voters were registered nationwide, with over 4.85 million casting ballots, representing a turnout rate of 63.57 percent.
In terms of turnout, the CENA reports 7,897,287 voters registered on the electoral lists. Of these, 4,640,354 actually went to the polls, i.e., a turnout rate of 63.57%. The valid votes total 4,522,756, while 117,598 ballots were declared null.
Conclusion: Bomi Senator Snowe is incorrect on the claims; the opposition candidate received less than two percent of the vote contrary to Snowe’s claim.
Hounkpe received 5.95%, and not less than 2% as claimed by Snowe.
He is also incorrect that the invalid votes were more than the opposition’s votes obtained.
Hounkpe received 278,297 votes, while the Invalid votes were 117,598. A total of 160,699 votes difference.
Hounkpe received 278,297 votes, while the Invalid votes were 117,598. A total of 160,699 votes difference.
Therefore, as head of the ECOWAS Parliament Election Observation Mission to Benin, Snowe misled the public in his radio appearance.
