rmer president) 27.1%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI
(National Assembly Speaker) 12.6%, and Bruno AMOUSSOU (Minister of
State) 8.6%; the second round balloting, originally scheduled for 18
March, was postponed four days because both SOGOLO and HOUNGBEDJI
withdrew alleging electoral fraud; this left KEREKOU to run against
his own Minister of State, AMOUSSOU, in what was termed a "friendly
match"

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 30 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, E'toile 4, Alliance
IPD 4, Car-DUNYA 3, MERCI 2, other 7

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle;
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders: African Movement for Democracy and
Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance for Democracy and
Progress or ADP [Sylvain Adekpedjou AKINDES]; Alliance of the Social
Democratic Party or PSD and the National Union for Solidarity and
Progress or UNSP [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Cameleon Alliance or AC [leader
NA]; Car-DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; Communist Party of Benin or PCB [Pascal
FANTONDJI, first secretary]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien
HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA
[Jerome Sakia KINA]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD
[Bertin BORNA]; Liberal Democrats' Rally for National
Reconstruction-Vivoten or RDL-Vivoten [Severin ADJOVI]; Movement for
Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; New
Generation for the Republic or NGR [Paul DOSSOU]; Our Common Cause
or NCC [Francois Odjo TANKPINON]; Party Democratique du Benin or PDB
[Col. Soule DANKORO]; Rally for Democracy and Pan-Africanism or RDP
[Dominique HOYMINOU, Dr. Giles Auguste MINONTIN]; Renaissance Party
du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance
E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union for National Democracy and Solidarity
or UDS [Adamou N'Diaye MAMA]

note: the Coalition of Democratic Forces is an alliance of parties
and organizations supporting President KEREKOU [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFR