2026 Presidential election: festive atmosphere at the CENA for the submission of the Wadagni–Talata duo’s candidacy file.
It’s a day unlike any other at the Commission électorale nationale autonome (CENA).
La CENA au Bénin
Ph: RBM
Since the afternoon of Monday, October 13, 2025, the area around the institution in Cotonou has been pulsing with songs, dances and honking horns. Activists and supporters of the presidential camp have swarmed the site to fervently accompany the duo Romuald Wadagni – Mariam Chabi Talata, announced to submit their application for the April 12, 2026 presidential election.
Flags, T‑shirts, placards bearing the duo’s image, songs of encouragement and vuvuzelas: everything is there. The atmosphere is one of popular mobilization, reflecting massive support for the candidacy of the Finance Minister and the current Vice‑President of the Republic.
According to insiders, the candidate duo is expected at the institution after 3 p.m. Despite the apparent delay, the crowd has not lost its fervor.
Once this formality is completed, the presidential camp will be the first political formation to officially file its candidacy for the April 2026 election.
This highly symbolic moment marks the actual launch of the electoral battle. In the coming hours, attention will turn to the opposition, notably the party Les Démocrates, still expected to present its presidential ticket.
Between popular fervor and political calculations, the 2026 presidential election already looks set to be one of the most hotly contested of the past decade.