Benin's presidential election delayed

Benin's presidential election due to take place Sunday has been postponed until March 13.

On Saturday, state television announced that the constitutional court had accepted the electoral commission's request for a one-week delay because voting materials had not been printed and election observers had not been properly trained.

President Boni Yayi, first elected in 2006, is facing 12 opposition candidates in his bid for a second term. Benin is viewed as a rare example of democracy in a region of West Africa better known for coups.

Yayi's popularity has been hurt, however, by a Ponzi scheme scandal that touched numerous members of his administration and in which more than 100,000 people in the nation of 8.7 million lost their savings.