The party was established in 1995 as the Rally for Democracy and Pan-Africanism (Rassemblement pour la Démocratie et le Panafricanisme, RDP),[1] and was led by Dominique Houngninou.[2] In the parliamentary elections that year it received 1.4% of the vote, winning one seat,[3] taken by Houngninou.[4] In the 1999 elections its vote share fell to 0.9%, but Houngninou retained his seat.[5][6]