Photo taken on March 26, 2021 shows a woman taking part in a gathering for the presidential campaign at the Congress Palace of Cotonou, Benin. Benin's National Electoral Autonomous Commission on Thursday launched the campaign for the country's presidential election scheduled for April 11. (Photo by Seraphin Zounyekpe/Xinhua)
COTONOU, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Benin's National Electoral Autonomous Commission on Thursday launched the campaign for the country's presidential election scheduled for April 11.
The 15-day campaign sees the incumbent President Patrice Talon, in power since April 2016 and seeking a second term in office, facing off with two competitors, Alassane Soumanou and Agbelessessi Kohoue.
About 4,958,850 people are expected to cast their votes on polling day.
Already, 10 observers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) arrived in Benin for a 25-day stay to witness the pre-electoral, electoral and post-electoral periods of the election.
A total of 90 election observers from ECOWAS are expected to oversee the process of the April 11 presidential election.
The European Union also called on all the stakeholders in the election to prioritize dialogue, refrain from violence, and respect the rule of law as well as fundamental freedoms. Enditem
