Marie-Elise Gbèdo

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Marie-Elise Akouavi Gbèdo (born 1954) is a Beninese politician who has run for president twice. In May 1998 she was made Minister of Commerce, Crafts, and Tourism under President Mathieu Kérékou; he dismissed her from that position in June 1999. Afterwards, she became a vocal critic of the government, and she stood as a candidate in the March 2001 presidential election, becoming the country's first female presidential candidate. In doing so, Gbèdo, a mother of two, faced some conservative attitudes; in particular, she received disapproval because she was divorced. Reportedly she received more disapproval from women than men, although she had the backing of some women's groups.^[1] In the election, she took 11th place with 0.36% of the vote. Running again in the March 2006 presidential election, she took 16th place with 0.33% of the vote.^[2]