Dahomeyan Administrative Council election, 1925

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Administrative Council elections were held in Dahomey for the first time in 1925. [1]

Dahomey former country

The Kingdom of Dahomey was an African kingdom that existed from about 1600 until 1894, when the last king, Béhanzin, was defeated by the French, and the country was annexed into the French colonial empire. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a regional power in the 18th century by conquering key cities on the Atlantic coast.

Contents

Background

The Administrative Council was established in 1894, [2] Although it had no elected members, the Chamber of Commerce selected some of the councillors. [3] However, three elected seats were introduced in 1925.

Electoral system

Three constituencies were created for the elections, Abomey, Ouidah and Porto-Novo. The franchise was extremely restricted, with only 470 people registered to vote. [4]

Abomey Commune and city in Zou Department, Benin

Abomey is a city in the Zou Department of Benin. Abomey is also the former capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey, which would later become a French colony, then the Republic of Dahomey (1960–1975), and is the modern-day Republic of Benin.

Ouidah Commune and city in Atlantique Department, Benin

Ouidah or Whydah, formerly the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on the coast of the Republic of Benin. The commune covers an area of 364 km2 (141 sq mi) and as of 2002 had a population of 76,555 people.

Porto-Novo City and commune in Ouémé, Benin

Porto-Novo is the capital of Benin, and was the capital of French Dahomey. The commune covers an area of 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people.

Results

Two of the three seats were won by candidates supported by the French colonial authorities. However, Pierre Johnson was elected in Ouidah despite opposition from the French. [1]

Related Research Articles

The Republic of Benin was formed in 1960 when the colony of French Dahomey gained independence from France. Prior to this, the area that is now the Republic of Benin was divided largely between two coastal kingdoms, Dahomey and Porto-Novo, and a large area of various tribes in the north. The French assembled these various groups together into the colony of French Dahomey, which was part of the various colonies of French West Africa from 1904 until 1960. In the independence era, the republic was extremely unstable for the first decade and a half of existence, with multiple governments and multiple military coups. In 1972, Mathieu Kérékou led a military coup deposing the Presidential Council and appointing himself as the head of state, a position he held until 1991 when the country returned to multiparty elections. Since that point, the state has held multiple presidential and legislative elections and a number of different parties have become important.

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Sourou-Migan Marcellin Joseph Apithy was a Beninese political figure most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey one lived in.

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Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey one lived in. Born a peasant in 1916, Maga served as a schoolmaster from 1936 to 1945, during which time he gradually gained considerable influence among the uneducated. He was elected to Dahomey's territorial assembly in 1947 and founded the Northern Ethnical Group, later renamed the Dahomey Democratic Rally. In 1951, Maga was elected to the French National Assembly, where he served in various positions, including premier from 1959 to 1960. When Dahomey gained its independence from France on August 1, 1960, Maga was appointed to the presidency, and was officially elected to that post on December 11.

Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin politician

Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin was a Beninese politician most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region of Dahomey one lived in. He served as president of the National Assembly of Dahomey from April 1959 to November 1960 and as prime minister of Benin from 1964 to 1965.

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Elections in Benin take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. Both the President and the National Assembly are directly elected by voters, with elections organised by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA).

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1952 Dahomeyan Territorial Assembly election

Elections for the Territorial Assembly were held in French Dahomey on 30 March 1952. Sourou-Migan Apithy's Republican Party of Dahomey won 19 of the 32 second college seats. Only ten members of the Legislative Council elected in 1947 were re-elected.

Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex, England from 1889 to 1965.

Presidential Council (Benin)

The Presidential Council was a triumvirate system of government in the Republic of Dahomey from 7 May 1970 until 26 October 1972. The Presidential Council included Hubert Maga, Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, and Sourou-Migan Apithy as equal members of a council which held all legislative and executive power in the state of Dahomey.

1946–47 Dahomeyan General Council election

Elections to the General Council were held in French Dahomey in December 1946 and 5 January 1947. The result was a victory for the Dahomeyan Progressive Union, which won 20 of the 30 seats.

Dahomeyan Democratic Union political party in Benin

The Dahomeyan Democratic Union was a political party in French Dahomey.

1928 Dahomeyan Administrative Council election

Administrative Council elections were held in Dahomey in 1928.

1932 Dahomeyan Administrative Council election

Administrative Council elections were held in Dahomey in 1932.

1934 Dahomeyan Administrative Council election

Administrative Council elections were held in Dahomey in 1934.

1936 Dahomeyan Administrative Council election

Administrative Council elections were held in Dahomey in 1936.

1930 Dahomeyan Administrative Council election

Administrative Council elections were held in Dahomey in 1930.

1972 Dahomeyan coup détat

The 1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état was a military coup staged on 26 October 1972 by Major Mathieu Kérékou, who took control of the Republic of Dahomey and ended a system of government established following the annulled 1970 presidential election, in which three members of the Presidential Council were to rotate in power. Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin served as the Chairman at the time of the coup.

References

  1. 1 2 Patrick Manning (2004) Slavery, Colonialism and Economic Growth in Dahomey, 1640-1960, Cambridge University Press, p267
  2. ↑ Richard Paraiso & Adrienne Paraiso (2015) Return to the Fatherland, WestBow Press
  3. ↑ Manning, p265
  4. ↑ Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen & Klaus Landfried (1978) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Erster Halbband, p495 (in German)
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