Page "Mathieu Kérékou" Paragraph 12

Kérékou reclaimed the presidency in the March 1996 election.

Soglo's economic reforms and his alleged dictatorial tendencies had caused his popularity to suffer.

Although Kérékou received fewer votes than Soglo in the first round, he then defeated Soglo in the second round, taking 52. 5 % of the vote.

Kérékou was backed in the second round by third place candidate Adrien Houngbédji and fourth place candidate Bruno Amoussou ; as in 1991, Kérékou received very strong support from northern voters, but he also improved his performance in the south.

Soglo alleged fraud, but this was rejected by the Constitutional Court, which confirmed Kérékou's victory.

When taking the oath of office, Kérékou left out a portion that referred to the " spirits of the ancestors " because he had become a born-again Christian after his defeat by Soglo.

He was subsequently forced to retake the oath including the reference to spirits.