The Benin Rebirth Party () is a liberal political party in

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

. The party was founded on 24 March 1992 by then- First Lady Rosine Vieyra Soglo, who became the first Beninese woman to establish a new political party. The party was also headed by Vieyra Soglo after its foundation. It is led by Nicéphore Soglo, who was President of Benin from 1991 to 1996 and later Mayor of

Cotonou Cotonou (; ) is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies ...

. Rosine Vieyra Soglo established the party to provide political support for her husband, then-President Nicéphore Soglo, who lacked backing from Benin's political elite. It initially worked, as the Benin Rebirth Party won 20 of the 83 seats in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

in the

1995 Beninese parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Benin on 28 March 1995, although voting for thirteen seats was re-run on 28 May after the Constitutional Court invalidated the results due to irregularities. The Democratic Renewal Party (Benin), Democratic ...

. However, President Nicéphore Soglo, who was seeking re-election, was defeated by former President

Mathieu Kérékou Mathieu Kérékou (; 2 September 1933 – 14 October 2015) was a Beninese politician who served as president of the People's Republic of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and the Benin, Republic of Benin from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a milita ...

in the

1996 Beninese presidential election 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane 1996 Air Africa crash, crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic ...

. Soglo was the RB candidate in the March 2001 presidential election, taking second place with 27.1% of the popular vote in the first round, but he boycotted the second round. In the

parliamentary election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

held on 30 March 2003, the party won 15 out of 83 seats. In early August 2005, the RB chose Soglo's son Lehady Soglo as its candidate for the March 2006 presidential election. The elder Soglo could not run because of the constitutional age limit of 70 years for candidates. In the election, Lehady Soglo obtained 7.92% of the vote and placed fourth. In the March 2007 parliamentary election, the RB participated in the Alliance for a Dynamic Democracy, which won a total of 20 seats."Coalition supported by President Boni tops Benin's legislative polls"
African Press Agency, April 8, 2007.

References

1992 establishments in Benin Liberal parties in Africa Political parties in Benin Political parties established in 1992 {{Benin-party-stub