1991 Beninese presidential election

1991 Beninese presidential election

← 1970 10 March 1991 (first round) 24 March 1991 (second round) 1996 →

Candidate Nicéphore Soglo Mathieu Kérékou Party UTRD Independent Popular vote 881,205 423,501 Percentage 67.54% 32.46%

President before election Mathieu Kérékou Independent Elected President Nicéphore Soglo UTRD

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Presidential elections were held in Benin in March 1991, the first direct presidential elections since 1970. Elections under the military regime of Mathieu Kérékou had been indirect, with the president chosen by the National Assembly.

The first round, held on 10 March, saw no candidate receive more than 37% of the vote. Prime Minister Nicéphore Soglo led the field, with Kérékou in second place. The second round on 24 March resulted in a decisive victory for Soglo, with almost two-thirds of the vote. Voter turnout was 56% in the first round and 64% in the second.^[1]

The elections marked the first instance in post-colonial Francophone Africa that an opposition candidate won a free election.