The political climate is stirred around the Parti du Renouveau Démocratique (PRD). Gratien Ahouanmenou, its Deputy Secretary-General, stated this Wednesday, June 4, 2025, on BIP Radio that “the PRD militants no longer feel comfortable within the UP le Renouveau.”
A statement that sounds like a warning and another step towards a possible departure of the party founded by Me Adrien Houngbédji from the majority coalition.
The situation has worsened after receiving an official letter from the Ministry of the Interior. The administration accuses the PRD of continuing to use its attributes—logo, name, colors—while, according to the authorities, being legally dissolved following its merger with UP le Renouveau.
But Gratien Ahouanmenou vigorously disputes this interpretation. “The merger decisions cannot lead to the dissolution of the PRD,” he insisted. A response letter was also sent to the ministry to clarify this position, based on the party’s founding texts.
A poorly digested merger
For the PRD’s DSG, the merger never really took hold. He asserts that the party no longer identifies with the current orientations of the Union Progressiste le Renouveau. The PRD, once a leading figure in the Beninese political landscape, believes it has lost its soul in this political alliance.
“Today, we are in a listening phase. We are consulting our militant base to consider the next steps. A rupture is not excluded,” he specified.
If the PRD were to confirm its separation from UP le Renouveau, it would be a significant turning point just months before the upcoming elections. This could reconfigure political alliances in the presidential camp and offer new opportunities to the opposition.
In the meantime, the PRD seems to want to regain its freedom, bolstered by its historical roots in the Beninese electorate and its symbols that it refuses to see disappear.