Rosine Vieyra Soglo established the party to provide political support for her husband, then-President Nicéphore Soglo, who lacked backing from Benin's political elite.[2] It initially worked, as the Benin Rebirth Party won 20 of the 83 seats in the National Assembly in the 1995 Beninese parliamentary election.[2] However, President Nicéphore Soglo, who was seeking re-election, was defeated by former President Mathieu Kérékou in the 1996 Beninese presidential election.[2]