Elections in Benin

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Benin elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people. The National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) has 83 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation. Benin has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties or coalitions, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party.

[edit] Recent elections

On March 5, 2006, voters went to the polls to decide who would succeed Mathieu Kérékou as President. Results were expected to be announced by March 8. As no single candidate of the 26 won an outright majority, a runoff election took place two weeks later, won by Yayi Boni with three-quarters of the vote. [1], [2], [3]

e • d Summary of the 5 and 19 March 2006 Benin presidential **election results**
Candidates - Nominating parties	Votes	% 1st round	Votes	% 2nd round
Yayi Boni	1,074,308	35.78%	1,979,305	74.60%
Adrien Houngbédji - Democratic Renewal Party (Parti du renouveau démocratique)	727,239	24.22%	673,937	25.40%
Bruno Amoussou - Social Democratic Party (Parti Social-Démocrate)	489,122	16.29%
Léhadi Vinagnon Soglo - Benin Rebirth Party or Renaissance Party of Benin (Parti de la renaissance du Bénin)	253,478	8.44%
Antoine Kolawolé Idji - African Movement for Development and Progres (Mouvement africain pour la dévelloppement et le progrès)	97,595	3.25%
Lazare Sèhouéto - Movement for the People's Alternative (Mouvement pour une Alternative du Peuple)	61,195	2.04%
Sévérin Adjovi - Liberal Democrats' Rally for National Reconstruction-Vivoten (Rassemblement des Démocrates Libéraux pour la Reconstruction nationale)(RDL-Vivoten)	53,304	1.78%
Antoine Dayori - Hope Force (Force Espoir)	37,436	1.25%
Total (turnout 76.9%/69.5%)	3,014,167		2,656,070	100.0%
Source: African Elections Database

e • d Summary of the 31 March 2007 Beninese National Assembly election results
Parties and alliances	Seats
Cauri Forces for an Emerging Benin (Forces Cauris pour un Bénin Emergent)	35
Alliance for Dynamism and Democracy (Alliance pour une Dynamique Démocratie)	20
Democratic Renewal Party (Parti du Renouveau Démocratique)	10
Key Force (Force Clé)	4
Union for Relief (Union pour la Relève)	3
National Union for Democracy and Progress (Union Nationale pour la Démocratie et le Progrès)	2
Hope Force (Force Espoir)	2
Coalition for an Emerging Benin (Coalition pour un Bénin Emergent)	2
Alliance for Revival (Alliance Le Réveil)	2
Alliance of the Forces of Progress (Alliance des Forces du Progrès)	1
Party for Democracy and Social Progress (Parti pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social)	1
Restore the Hope (Restaurer l’Espoir)	1
Total (turnout 58.69%)	83
Source: APA and IPU Parline.

[edit] Past elections

e • d Summary of the 30 March 2003 Benin National Assembly **election results**
Alliances and parties		%	Seats
Presidential Movement (Mouvance présidentielle)	Union for Future Benin (Union pour le Bénin du futur)	55.8	31
	African Movement for Development and Progres (Mouvement africain pour la dévelloppement et le progrès)		9
	Key Force (Force clé)		5
	Alliance of MDC, PS and CPP (Alliance Mdc-Ps-Cpp) Movement for Development by Culture (Mouvement pour le Développement par la Culture) Salute Party (Parti du Salut) Congress of People for Progress (Congrès du Peuple pour le Progrès)		2
	Impulse to Progres and Democracy (Impulsion au progrès et la démocratie)		2
	Alliance of Progress Forces (Alliance des Forces du Progrès)		1
	Movement for Development and Solidarity (Mouvement pour le Développement et la Solidarité)		1
	Rally for Democracy and Progres (Rassemblement pour la Démocratie et le Progrès)		1
Opposition	Benin Rebirth Party (Parti de la renaissance du Bénin)	43.0	15
	Democratic Renewal Party (Parti du renouveau démocratique)		11
	Star Alliance (Alliance Étoile) Builders and Managers of Freedom and Democracy (Bâtisseurs et Gestionnaires de la Liberté et de la Démocratie) The Greens (Les Verts) Union for Democracy and National Solidarity (Union pour la Démocratie et la Solidarité Nationale)		3
	New Alliance (Nouvelle Alliance)		2
Total (turnout n.a.			83
Source: AfricaTime/AFP & Adam Carr