Beninese presidential election, 1996

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Presidential elections were held in Benin in March 1996. The first round, held on 3 March, saw no candidate gain over 50% of the vote, resulting in a second round held on 18 March. Mathieu Kérékou, a former military dictator who had come second in the first round, was victorious in the second round, beating incumbent Nicéphore Soglo, after gaining the backing of the third- and fourth-placed candidates.[1] Kérékou received very strong support from northern voters,[2] but he also improved his performance in the south compared to the 1991 election.[1]

Soglo alleged fraud, but this was rejected by the Constitutional Court (who had annulled 22% of the votes in the first round),[3] which confirmed Kérékou's victory.[4] Voter turnout was 87.8% in the first round and 77.6% in the second round.[3]

Results

Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Nicéphore SogloRenaissance Party of Benin596,37135.69904,62647.51
Mathieu KérékouIndependent567,08433.94999,45352.49
Adrien HoungbédjiDemocratic Renewal Party329,36419.71
Bruno AmoussouSocial Democratic Party129,7317.76
Pascal FontondjiCommunist Party of Benin17,9771.08
Lionel AgboIndependent15,4180.92
Léandre DjagouéIndependent15,0790.90
Invalid votes540,653–54,776–
Total2,211,6771001,958,855100
Registered voters/turnout2,517,97087.82,524,26277.6
Source: Nohlen et al.

References

  1. 1 2 'Kunle Amuwo, "The State and the Politics of Democratic Consolidation in Benin, 1990–1999", in Political Liberalization and Democratization in Africa (2003), ed. Ihonvbere and Mbaku.
  2. ↑ "World News Briefs; Benin Presidential Vote Heads for a Runoff", The New York Times, March 6, 1996.
  3. 1 2 Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p95 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
  4. ↑ Benin, Year in Review: 1996, Britannica.com.
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