Nicéphore Soglo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicéphore Soglo
|
|
|---|---|
Soglo in 2012
|
|
| 5th President of Benin | |
| In office 4 April 1991 – 4 April 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Mathieu Kérékou |
| Succeeded by | Mathieu Kérékou |
| Prime Minister of Benin | |
| In office 12 March 1990 – 4 April 1991 |
|
| Preceded by | Maurice Kouandété (1968) |
| Succeeded by | Adrien Houngbédji (1996) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 29, 1934 Badou, French Togoland |
| Political party | Renaissance Party of Benin |
| Spouse |
Rosine Vieyra Soglo
(m. 1958; |
| Children | Léhady Soglo Ganiou Soglo |
| Signature |  |
Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo (born November 29, 1934) is an important Beninese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Benin from 1990 to 1991. Later, he became the President of Benin, holding office from 1991 to 1996. After his presidency, he was the Mayor of Cotonou, Benin's largest city, from 2003 to 2015. Soglo was married to Rosine Vieyra Soglo, who was also a politician and the former First Lady of Benin.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Nicéphore Soglo was born in French Togoland in 1934. He moved to France to continue his studies. There, he focused on law and economics at the University of Paris and the École nationale d'administration.
While studying in France, he met Rosine Vieyra, who would later become his wife. They married on July 2, 1958. Together, they had two sons, Léhady (born in 1960) and Ganiou (born in 1962).
After finishing his degrees, Soglo returned to Benin, which was then known as Dahomey. He worked as an inspector of finance from 1965 to 1967. He later became the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs.
Working with International Organizations
After a change in government in 1972, Nicéphore Soglo left Benin. He then worked for major international groups like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. These organizations help countries around the world with their economies.
Return to Politics: Prime Minister
In the late 1980s, Benin's government faced challenges with its economy. To address these issues and move towards a more open political system, a national conference was held. This conference decided that Nicéphore Soglo should become the Prime Minister. He took on this role on March 12, 1990.
The conference also created a new constitution for Benin. This constitution was strongly supported by the people in a vote held in December 1990.
Becoming President of Benin
In March 1991, Benin held its first presidential election with multiple political parties. Nicéphore Soglo won the first round of voting. He then went on to win the second round against the previous leader, Mathieu Kérékou. Soglo received a large majority of the votes.
His victory was very important because it was the first time in post-colonial French-speaking Africa that an opposition candidate won a presidential election. He officially became President on April 4, 1991.
During his time as president, Soglo worked hard to improve Benin's economy, which had been struggling. His government was also praised for respecting democratic rules and human rights.
In 1993, President Soglo led Benin's team at the first Tokyo International Conference on African Development. This conference focused on helping African countries grow and develop.
After the Presidency: Mayor of Cotonou
In the 1996 presidential election, Soglo ran for re-election but was defeated by Mathieu Kérékou. Soglo claimed there were problems with the election, but the court disagreed.
He tried to become president again in the 2001 election, coming in second place. However, he chose to withdraw from the final round due to concerns about fairness. Because of an age limit, he could not run in the 2006 election. His son, Léhady Soglo, ran instead.
In 2002 and 2003, Nicéphore Soglo and his political party won the local election in Cotonou, which is Benin's largest city. On February 13, 2003, Soglo was elected as the Mayor of Cotonou. He promised to focus on making the city cleaner and improving its public services.
He was re-elected as Mayor in June 2008. He continued to work on modernizing the city and creating a public transportation system. Eventually, his son, Léhady Soglo, took over from him as Mayor.
See also
In Spanish: Nicéphore Soglo para niños
- Timeline of Cotonou, 2000s–present
