Beninese voters about to elect a new president Sunday, the outgoing Boni Yayi who is having ruled out a third postponement of the poll despite continuing delays in registering voters.
President Yayi is one of 14 candidates in this election, said Friday evening at a final campaign rally on the outskirts of Cotonou, there would be no further postponement.
"I can not violate the Constitution.March 13, will vote overwhelmingly, "he said before thousands of supporters, referring to the fact that its mandate expires on April 6 and a new president must be proclaimed before that date.
Under the Constitution, a second round must indeed be held if no candidate obtains an absolute majority in the first round, what many consider anaystes likely.
Adrien Houngbedji, the main opponent of President Yayi, criticized the decision not to postpone the election, but nevertheless called on his supporters to vote."Each of your voice will be seen as a sanction imposed on a system incapable of corrupt and dishonest, a regime that endangers our democracy and peace so dear to our people," he said in a statement that he read in the press.
The first round, originally scheduled for February 27, was relocated once a week to allow the compilation of electronic files and then postponed again on March 4 at the request of the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) but also the UN and African Union.
This week, election authorities have tried to complete the registration of some 300,000 voters on the electronic file, while according to the opposition, up to a million potential voters had been omitted from the list or did not have voter registration cards.
The deadline has been extended until Friday noon until Saturday noon, and even where the formalities were late getting started.
Registration operations continued late into the night Friday to Saturday and resumed early Saturday morning and ended at mid-day.
The ballot should be played mainly between the outgoing president, 58, elected in 2006, and the opponent Adrien Houngbedji, 69, who covets the presidency for twenty years. A third man, economist Abdoulaye Bio Tchane, 58, could play the role of arbiter.
