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COTONOU, Benin (AP) - The tiny West African nation of Benin chooses a new leader Sunday in a wide open presidential race taking place for the first time in more than three decades without the country's two most powerful politicians.
Ex-coup leader Mathieu Kerekou, 73, and his longtime opposition rival, Nicephore Soglo, 72, have dominated politics and swapped Benin's presidency since the 1970s. Both are ineligible to run this time because the Constitution bars candidates over age 70.
In their place is a field of 26 hopefuls, no heir apparent, and an impoverished country praying a fresh face will ease unemployment and breathe new life into a sputtering agricultural-based economy.
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