Benin is holding a presidential election as outgoing leader Patrice Talon steps down after a decade in power. The country has seen mixed economic growth and a growing jihadi insurgency in the north. Romuald Wadagni, the 49-year-old finance minister and governing coalition standard-bearer, is considered to be Talon's successor. The opposition failed to reach the 20% electoral threshold in the previous parliamentary election, leaving Talon’s two allied parties in control of all 109 seats in the National Assembly. The main opposition candidate, Renaud Agbodjo, was barred from competing due to insufficient parliamentary endorsements. The first round of the vote is set for April 12 and a runoff will be held on May 10. While Benin has historically been among the most stable democracies in Africa, opposition leaders and human rights organizations have accused Talon of using the justice system as a tool to sideline his political opponents.