Vote count of Benin presidential runoff underway as polling closed

Vote counting operations started as polling process for the second round of Benin's presidential election came to its end at 4 p.m. (local time), a Xinhua reporter noted on the spot on Sunday in the economic capital Cotonou.

Voting operations started at 7 a.m. across the country and should lead to the election of the successor to the outgoing President Yayi Boni who is to step down on April 6 after serving two terms.

The new leader of the country will be elected from two candidates, Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou and the businessman Patrice Talon.

The first round of polls were held on March 6 with 33 candidates competing.

Benin civil society organization platform has deployed over 300 observers across the country.

The civil society organization has reported incidents such as ballot stuffing attempts in some polling stations.

Benin's election organization body CENA warned some time earlier polling agents against the lack of responsibility and reminded them of related punishments.

"Insistent feedbacks said that some election agents were about to refuse to sign election documents such as counting sheet, report sheet on the conduct of the process and compilation sheet"a release from CENA said.

"It is worth reminding that signing refusal is an offence punished by the 138 article of electoral code", CENA' budget coordinator Basile Fassinou said in the release.

According to CENA, punishments go from one to two years imprisonment and one to two million CFA Francs fines.

About 4.7 million persons are expected to cast their votes in 13,664 voting stations in the second round of election. Enditem