Dahomeyan General Council election, 1946–47

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Elections to the General Council were held in French Dahomey in December 1946 and 5 January 1947. [1] The result was a victory for the Dahomeyan Progressive Union, which won 20 of the 30 seats. [2]

French Dahomey former French colony

French Dahomey was a French colony of and a part of French West Africa from 1904 to 1958. After World War II, by the establishment of the French Fourth Republic in 1947, Dahomey became part of the French Union with an increased autonomy. On 11 December 1958, the French Fifth Republic was established and the French Union became the French Community. The colony became the self-governing Republic of Dahomey within the Community, and two years later on 1 August 1960 it gained full independence.

Dahomeyan Progressive Union political party in Benin

The Dahomeyean Progressive Union was a political party in Dahomey.

Contents

Electoral system

The General Council (Conseil Generale) was established as part of the constitutional reforms that created the French Fourth Republic. It had 30 seats, with 12 members elected by the first electoral college and 18 by the second electoral college. [3]

French Fourth Republic government of France between 1946 and 1958

The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic that was in place from 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War to 1940 during World War II, and suffered many of the same problems. France adopted the constitution of the Fourth Republic on 13 October 1946.

Results

PartyFirst roundSecond roundTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
First College
Dahomeyan Progressive Union 145
African People's Bloc 055
Independents022
Total61310011112
Registered voters/turnout1,53345.9
Second College
Dahomeyan Progressive Union 10515
African People's Bloc 011
Independents200
Total76,76910012618
Registered voters/turnout133,14257.6
Source: De Benoist

Elected members included: [4]

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References

  1. Joseph-Roger de Benoist (1982) Afrique occidentale française de 1944 à 1960, p537
  2. Patrick Manning (2004) Slavery, Colonialism and Economic Growth in Dahomey, 1640-1960, Cambridge University Press, p276
  3. Mathurin C Houngnikpo & Samuel Decalo (2012) Historical Dictionary of Benin, Scarecrow Press, p112
  4. Houngnikpo & Decalo, p113