Bruno Amoussou

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Bruno Ange-Marie Amoussou (born 2 July 1939 in Djakotomey) is a Beninese politician and leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He was the president of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1999 and minister of planning and development under President Mathieu Kérékou from 1999 to 2005.^[1][2]

In April 1999, Amoussou, who was the favored candidate of Kérékou for the presidency of the National Assembly, was defeated by Adrien Houngbédji in a parliamentary vote.^[3]

Amoussou has contested all four presidential elections since democratic rule was reintroduced in 1990. In 1991, he received 5.8 % of the vote and fourth place, therefore failing to qualify for the second round. In 1996, he also placed fourth with 7.8 % of the vote;^[4] along with third place finisher Houngbédji, Amoussou backed Kérékou against president Nicéphore Soglo for the second round of the election, and Kérékou was victorious.^[5] In the first round of the 2001 election, he placed fourth yet again with 8.6 % of the vote, but participated in the runoff when the second- and third-placed candidates, Soglo and Houngbédji, withdrew from the race. Running against heavily-favored incumbent Kérékou, to whom he had previously given his support for the second round, Amoussou received nearly 16 % of the vote.^[4][6]

Amoussou ran again in the March 2006 presidential election, obtaining about 16% of the vote and coming in third place.^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Profiles of front-runners in presidential race", IRIN, March 3, 2006.
2. ^ Benin government page on former presidents of the National Assembly.
3. ^ Benin, Year in Review: 1999, Britannica.com.
4. ^ ^{a b c} Elections in Benin, African Elections Database.
5. ^ Samuel Decalo, "Benin: First of the New Democracies", in Political Reform in Francophone Africa (1997), page 61, note 21.
6. ^ "Benin finally votes for president", CNN.com, March 22, 2001.