The UTRD was established in 1991 to support presidential candidate
Nicéphore Soglo, and initially consisted of the
Democratic Union of the Forces of Progress (UDFP), the
Movement for Democracy and Social Progress (MDPS) and the
Union for Liberty and Development (ULD). It won 12 seats in the
1991 parliamentary election, emerging as the largest faction in the 64-seat
National Assembly. Soglo went on to win the
presidential elections in March, beating
Mathieu Kérékou in a runoff. Subsequently the alliance expanded, changing its name to
New Republic (
Nouvelle République) when an additional nine MPs joined. In 1993 it became
Renewal (
La Renouveau) after absorbing another 13 MPs, giving it a total of 34 seats. The alliance split prior to the
1995 elections. Of the three original parties, only the UDFP contested the elections, failing to win a seat. ==References==