he was elected to the national assembly of benin for the first time in the 1991 parliamentary election and was again elected in 1995. he was a founding member of the action front for renewal and development (fard-alafia) in 1994. from 1996 to 1998, he served as minister of rural development under president mathieu kérékou. in the march 1999 parliamentary election he was again elected to the national assembly as a fard-alafia candidate, and he became president of the solidarity and progress parliamentary group following the election. in the march 2003 parliamentary election, he was elected as a union for future benin (ubf) candidate (with fard-alafia being one of the component parties of the ubf). he also served as first vice-president of the national assembly.