Benin voters plump for an old dictator

Benin voters plump for an old dictator

Cotonou - The former dictator Mathieu Kerekou, the first African leader to be ousted at the ballot box in the democracy movement of the 1990s, was returned to power in a stunning upset at the polls. State radio announced Mr Kerekou had won 59 per cent, overwhelming President Nicephore Soglo, who had 41 per cent of the vote in Monday's presidential run-off.

During 17 years in power Mr Kerekou was accused of running the West African state's economy into the ground and of human rights abuses. AP