Romuald Wadagni, a 49-year-old economist and former finance minister, was inaugurated as president of Benin on Sunday, taking over from his long-serving predecessor Patrice Talon at a ceremony attended by some 6,000 guests and 16 foreign delegations at the Palais des Congrès in Cotonou, the country's main city and commercial capital on West Africa's Atlantic coast. Wadagni, his right hand raised, swore before the Constitutional Court to respect and defend the constitution — a moment marked by a twelve-cannon salute — before being proclaimed Grand Master of national orders and receiving the national flag from the army chief of staff.

Wadagni won the April 12 presidential election with 94 percent of the vote. His sole rival, Paul Hounkpe, was easily defeated, and Hounkpe's party subsequently aligned itself with Wadagni's in parliament. The main opposition party, Les Démocrates, was barred from competing due to insufficient candidate endorsements and internal divisions. The landslide result, and Wadagni's decade-long track record as finance minister under Talon, cast him firmly as a figure of continuity. During his tenure overseeing public finances, Benin cut its fiscal deficit by a third, bringing it down to three percent of GDP. Under a constitutional reform passed last year, the presidential term has been extended from five to seven years, with a maximum of two terms.

In his inaugural address, Wadagni pledged inclusive economic growth, promising that development would be