THE ECOWAS ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION MONITORED THE VOTING PROCESS FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HELD ON 12 APRIL 2026 IN BENIN.

Whilst the 120 observers deployed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were travelling across Benin’s departments and towns on Sunday 12 April 2026 to ensure that voting operations got off to a smooth start and proceeded without a hitch throughout Benin, H.E. Nana AKUFO-ADDO, Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, attended the opening of several polling stations in the town of Cotonou.

Accompanied by ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel Fatau MUSAH; H.E. Amadou DIONGUE, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Benin; H.E. Lène DIMBAN, Representative of the Ambassadors of ECOWAS Member States, and the Honourable Edwin Melvin SNOWE JR of the ECOWAS Parliament, H.E. Nana AKUFO-ADDO visited the Cadjehoun and Zongo districts of Cotonou to observe the smooth commencement of voting operations.

Early this afternoon, the Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission visited the ECOWAS situation room to get an overview of how operations were proceeding in the country’s other departments, towns and neighbourhoods.

In an interview with journalists, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo praised the atmosphere of peace and calm prevailing throughout Benin. In his view, this is evidence of the maturity of democracy and of the Beninese people.

In the early afternoon, Commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah, representing the Head of Mission, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, and officials from the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission visited the situation room of WANEP, a regional civil society organisation specialising in electoral governance, and observed the vote count in Cotonou.

The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) monitored the vote-counting process at the polling station at the Cadjehoun State Primary School (EPP) in Benin’s economic capital.

Speaking to the press, Commissioner Abdel-Fatau MUSAH praised the smooth running of the election. He highlighted the peaceful and calm atmosphere that prevailed throughout the day.