Nicéphore Soglo
| Nicéphore Soglo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of Benin | |
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In office April 4, 1991 – April 4, 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Mathieu Kérékou |
| Succeeded by | Mathieu Kérékou |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 29, 1934 Togo |
| Political party | Renaissance Party of Benin |
| Spouse(s) | Rosine Vieyra Soglo |
Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo (born November 29, 1934) is a Beninois politician who was Prime Minister of Benin from 1990 to 1991 and President from 1991 to 1996. He has been the Mayor of Cotonou since 2003. Soglo is married to Rosine Vieyra Soglo, the Beninois former First Lady and politician.
Soglo was born in Togo. After receiving degrees in law and economics from the University of Paris, Soglo returned to Benin (then called Dahomey) and was the inspector of finance (1965–1967) before his cousin, Colonel Christophe Soglo, overthrew President Sourou-Migan Apithy and appointed his relative minister of finance and economic affairs. Following the 1972 coup that brought Mathieu Kérékou to power, he left the country and held positions at international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
In the late 1980s, faced with growing dissatisfaction over a stagnant economy, the Kérékou government agreed to convene a national conference that would lead the country towards multiparty democracy. The conference designated Nicéphore Soglo interim Prime Minister, and he took office on March 12, 1990. The conference produced a constitution that was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum held on 2 December 1990.
In the country's first multiparty presidential election, Soglo took first place in the first round, held on March 10 1991, with 36.31% of the vote. A run-off against Kérékou followed on 24 March in which Soglo won a strong majority, receiving 67.73% of the vote--the first time that an opposition candidate in post-colonial Francophone Africa had won a free election. He took office on April 4, 1991.
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