Nearly 5 million eligible voters in the West African nation of Benin are expected to cast their ballots Sunday for the country’s next president.

Thirty-three candidates are running to succeed Thomas Boni Yayi. He is leaving office after the legally mandated two terms, reinforcing Benin’s reputation as a model of democracy on the troubled continent, where many leaders are revising their countries’ constitution so they can remain in power.

Boni Yayi told reporters as he cast his ballot that he was leaving behind a unified Benin.

The candidates include Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou, who is backed by Boni Yayi and the ruling party, and Patrice Talon, a wealthy businessman who made his fortune exporting cotton, Benin’s major product.

Zinsou has faced criticism over his ties to France, where he was born and has spent most of his life.

If no candidate wins a clear majority Sunday, a run-off election will be held in two weeks.

Some material for this report came from AP, AFP and Reuters.

 
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