Jump to content

Adrien Houngbédji: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Everyking (talk | contribs)
155,603 edits
No edit summary
Everyking (talk | contribs)
155,603 edits
No edit summary
(8 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Adrien Houngbédji''' (born [[March 5]], [[1942]]) is a [[politician]] of [[Benin]]. A former Prime Minister and President of the [[National Assembly of Benin|National Assembly]], he is the leader of the [[Democratic Renewal Party (Benin)|Democratic Renewal Party]] and was one of the leading candidates for the [[Beninese presidential election, 2006|2006 presidential election]], in which the successor to long-time president [[Mathieu Kérékou]] was determined.
'''Adrien Houngbédji''' (born [[March 5]], [[1942]]) is a [[politician]] of [[Benin]]. A former Prime Minister and President of the [[National Assembly of Benin|National Assembly]], he is the leader of the [[Democratic Renewal Party (Benin)|Democratic Renewal Party]] (''Parti de renouveau démocratique'', PRD) and was one of the leading candidates for the [[Beninese presidential election, 2006|2006 presidential election]], in which the successor to long-time president [[Mathieu Kérékou]] was determined.


Adrien Houngbédji was born in [[Aplahoué]] (Benin) in 1942. He earned a Doctorate in Law from the [[University of Paris]] in 1967 and graduated the same year from the French National School of Magistrate, first in his class. In 1968 he registered with the bar in [[Cotonou]] where he ran a prominent law office. After agreeing to represent an opponent of the Kérékou régime, he was sentenced to death in 1976. A few months later, Houngbédji escaped from prison and was exiled in [[Gabon]], where he again practiced law.
Adrien Houngbédji was born in [[Aplahoué]] (Benin) in 1942. He earned a Doctorate in Law from the [[University of Paris]] in 1967 and graduated the same year from the French National School of Magistrate, first in his class. In 1968 he registered with the bar in [[Cotonou]] where he ran a prominent law office. After agreeing to represent an opponent of the Kérékou régime, he was sentenced to death in 1976. A few months later, Houngbédji escaped from prison and was exiled in [[Gabon]], where he again practiced law.


He returned to Benin in 1990 for the National Conference that led the country towards a multi-party democracy. He was elected President of the [[National Assembly of Benin|National Assembly]] (Speaker of the House) in 1991, serving until 1995, and he was appointed [[Heads of government of Benin|Prime Minister]] in 1996, ironically by Kérékou, and served in that position until 1998 when the position was abolished. He was again elected President of the National Assembly (Speaker of the House) in 1999, after a victory in the parliamentary elections of that year for the opposition (in which Houngbédji and his party participated), remaining in the post until 2003. He was also elected co-president of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2001. The Democratic Renewal Party (Parti du Renouveau Democratique) that he created in 1990 is now the principal political party in Benin.
He returned to Benin in 1990 for the National Conference that led the country towards a multi-party democracy. He was elected President of the [[National Assembly of Benin|National Assembly]] (Speaker of the House) in 1991, serving until 1995.<ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=52013&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=BENIN "Profiles of front-runners in presidential race"], IRIN, March 3, 2006.</ref> In that year the PRD, along with other parties opposed to president [[Nicéphore Soglo]], won a majority of seats in the parliamentary election.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9112693 Benin, Year in Review: 1995], Britannica.com.</ref> Houngbédji supported Kérékou in the second round of the 1996 presidential election<ref>Samuel Decalo, "Benin: First of the New Democracies", in ''Political Reform in Francophone Africa'' (1997), page 61, note 21.</ref> and was then appointed [[Heads of government of Benin|Prime Minister]], serving in that position until May 1998, when Houngbédji resigned<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=houngbedji&s_dispstring=houngbedji&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no "Prime Minister Resigns in Benin"], AP, May 10, 1998.</ref> and the position was abolished. After this, Houngbédji and the PRD were part of the opposition in the 1999 parliamentary elections, and the opposition succeeded in winning a majority of seats; Houngbédji was again elected President of the National Assembly, defeating Kérékou's favored candidate [[Bruno Amoussou]],<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9342391 Benin, Year in Review: 1999], Britannica.com.</ref> and he remained in the post until 2003. He was also elected co-president of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2001. The PRD is now the principal political party in Benin.{{fact}}


A member of the "Académie des Sciences d’Outre Mer", Houngbédji wrote a book in October, 2005 presenting his political vision of Benin and Africa titled "Il n’y a de richesse que d’hommes" (publisher: éditions l'Archipel).
A member of the "Académie des Sciences d’Outre Mer", Houngbédji wrote a book in October, 2005 presenting his political vision of Benin and Africa titled "Il n’y a de richesse que d’hommes" (publisher: éditions l'Archipel).

Revision as of 10:42, 8 September 2006

Adrien Houngbédji (born March 5, 1942) is a politician of Benin. A former Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly, he is the leader of the Democratic Renewal Party (Parti de renouveau démocratique, PRD) and was one of the leading candidates for the 2006 presidential election, in which the successor to long-time president Mathieu Kérékou was determined.

Adrien Houngbédji was born in Aplahoué (Benin) in 1942. He earned a Doctorate in Law from the University of Paris in 1967 and graduated the same year from the French National School of Magistrate, first in his class. In 1968 he registered with the bar in Cotonou where he ran a prominent law office. After agreeing to represent an opponent of the Kérékou régime, he was sentenced to death in 1976. A few months later, Houngbédji escaped from prison and was exiled in Gabon, where he again practiced law.

He returned to Benin in 1990 for the National Conference that led the country towards a multi-party democracy. He was elected President of the National Assembly (Speaker of the House) in 1991, serving until 1995.[1] In that year the PRD, along with other parties opposed to president Nicéphore Soglo, won a majority of seats in the parliamentary election.[2] Houngbédji supported Kérékou in the second round of the 1996 presidential election[3] and was then appointed Prime Minister, serving in that position until May 1998, when Houngbédji resigned[4] and the position was abolished. After this, Houngbédji and the PRD were part of the opposition in the 1999 parliamentary elections, and the opposition succeeded in winning a majority of seats; Houngbédji was again elected President of the National Assembly, defeating Kérékou's favored candidate Bruno Amoussou,[5] and he remained in the post until 2003. He was also elected co-president of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in 2001. The PRD is now the principal political party in Benin.[citation needed]

A member of the "Académie des Sciences d’Outre Mer", Houngbédji wrote a book in October, 2005 presenting his political vision of Benin and Africa titled "Il n’y a de richesse que d’hommes" (publisher: éditions l'Archipel).

Houngbédji has run in every presidential election since 1991; he took fifth place, with 4.54% of the vote, in 1991, and he took third place with 19.71% in 1996.[6] In the 2001 election, he took third place and 12.62% of the vote; along with former president Nicéphore Soglo, who finished second, he refused to participate in a second round because of alleged fraud. Fourth-place candidate Bruno Amoussou therefore faced Kérékou in the second round, and Amoussou lost by a large margin.[6][7]

Houngbédji ran for president again in the 2006 presidential election, and on this occasion an article in the constitution excluding Kérékou and Soglo from the race made Houngbédji a favorite. In the first round, held on March 5, he came in second, with about 24% of the vote according to official results, behind Yayi Boni with about 35%; therefore a run-off between Houngbédji and Boni was held on March 19. Houngbédji lost this round, with Yayi Boni receiving almost 75% of the vote.[6]

In February 2003, Houngbédji was elected mayor of Benin's administrative capital, Porto Novo, by the city's council.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Profiles of front-runners in presidential race", IRIN, March 3, 2006.
  2. ^ Benin, Year in Review: 1995, Britannica.com.
  3. ^ Samuel Decalo, "Benin: First of the New Democracies", in Political Reform in Francophone Africa (1997), page 61, note 21.
  4. ^ "Prime Minister Resigns in Benin", AP, May 10, 1998.
  5. ^ Benin, Year in Review: 1999, Britannica.com.
  6. ^ a b c Elections in Benin, African Elections Database.
  7. ^ "Benin 'day of mourning'", BBC.co.uk, April 6, 2001.
  8. ^ "Ex-president elected mayor of Cotonou", IRIN, February 17, 2003.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adrien_Houngbédji&oldid=74502506"