Dahomeyan presidential election, 1970

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Presidential elections were held in Dahomey on 28 March 1970. Although they were won by Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, disagreements between northern and southern politicians meant that the results were later annulled, [1] and instead a three-member Presidential Council was created to rule the country, rotating the presidency every two years. It was composed of Sourou-Migan Apithy, Hubert Maga (both former Presidents) and Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin (a former Prime Minister), who had all received over 25% of the vote. [2] Maga served the first two-year term, before handing over to Ahomadégbé in 1972, who was then removed from office by a coup led by Mathieu Kérékou later in the year. [2] Voter turnout in the election was 56.7%. [3]

Benin country in Africa

Benin, officially the Republic of Benin and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.

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.

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.

Contents

Background

On 10 December 1969 President Emile Derlin Zinsou was overthrown by Maurice Kouandété, who had installed him as president in the first place. The military, however, refused to recognize Kouandété, [4] and as the two men could not reach agreement, a Military Directorate was established with Paul Emile de Souza as its chairman. [5] An election held to determine the true president. On this occasion, the triumvirate was allowed to campaign, and they did not miss the chance. [6] Intimidation and bribery were commonplace, and the electoral campaign saw the comeback of regional loyalties. [7] It was also marked by a series of violent outbursts; invalidated reports state that six people were killed or wounded at incidents in Parakou on the eve of the elections. Fellow candidate Zinsou asserted that Maga supporters had killed one of his supporters during said incidents. [6]

Maurice Kouandété Military Officer

Iropa Maurice Kouandété was a military officer and politician in Benin. He was born to Somba parents in the Gaba District of Dahomey. Kouandété enrolled in the army in his late teens. Over the years, he became popular among junior soldiers in the north and gained the contempt of those in the south. Jim Hoagland of The Washington Post described Kouandété as a "moody, brilliant and highly ambitious soldier".

These charges did not affect Maga's standing in the polls; he received a majority of the vote in the north, and Apithy and Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin received a majority in the southeast and southwest/central, respectively. [4] The election results showed a victory for Maga with 252,551 votes, 200,091 for Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, and 186,332 for Apithy. [8] In the entire south, Maga received 24,000 votes compared to the 180,000 who voted for him in the Borgou Department, obtaining 97.3 percent of the 78 percent turnout. [9] Zinsou, running to counter the constant tribal clashes, received 3 percent, [10] with 17,551 votes. [8]

Borgou Department Department in Benin

Borgou is one of the twelve departments of Benin. Borgou borders the country of Nigeria and the departments of Alibori, Atakora, Collines and Donga. The capital of Borgou is Parakou. The département of Borgou was bifurcated in 1999 with its northern territory moved to the newly created Alibori Department.

Results

CandidateVotes%
Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin 200,09236.6
Sourou-Migan Apithy 176,82832.3
Hubert Maga 152,55127.9
Emile Derlin Zinsou 17,6533.2
Invalid/blank votes18,223–
Total565,347100
Registered voters/turnout997,22656.7
Source: Nohlen et al.

Aftermath

Following the election, de Souza decided to nullify the results from Atakora, the region where Maga received the most votes, [5] on 3 April. [11] Outraged, Maga formed the Assembly of the Peoples of the North, which threatened to secede unless he was declared President. [12] He refused to leave his campaign headquarters at Parakou even to attend political meetings. Maga's reaction to the nullification prompted many southern workers to flee the north. [13] Apithy stated that he would convince his region to join Nigeria if Maga took the presidency and took steps to bribe his way into that office. [9] Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin claimed Maga had defrauded the electoral system to his advantage. In contrast with the other three former presidents, Zinsou admitted that he had been defeated and decided participate in bargaining, [13] explaining that he rejected the idea of a coalition "for personal reasons". [14] The other former Presidents, on the other hand, agreed to a hasty compromise on 13 April to prevent a civil war. [11]

Atakora Department Department in Benin

Atakora is the northwestern department of Benin, bordering Togo to the west and Burkina Faso to the north. Also, it borders the departments of Alibori, Borgou, and Donga. Major towns in the Atakora include Natitingou and Tanguiéta, and the major tourist areas include the Tata Somba houses, the Pendjari National Park, and various waterfalls. The département of Atakora was bifurcated in 1999, and some of its southern territory was moved to the newly created Donga Department. The capital of the department is Natitingou.

Related Research Articles

Émile Derlin Zinsou Beninese politician

Émile Derlin Zinsou was a Beninese politician and physician who was the President of Dahomey from 17 July 1968 until 10 December 1969, supported by the military regime that took power in 1967. Zinsou was present at the signing of the treaty that formed the African Union on 12 July 2000 in Togo.

Sourou-Migan Apithy Beninese politician

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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Dahomeyan Democratic Party political party in Benin

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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. ↑ Benin: History The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia
  2. 1 2 Benin: Timeline BBC News
  3. ↑ Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p93 ISBN   0-19-829645-2
  4. 1 2 Kneib 2007 , p. 21
  5. 1 2 Hudgens, Trillo & Calonnec 2003 , p. 893.
  6. 1 2 Agence France-Presse (27 March 1970), "Slayings Reported and Regional Tension Rises as Dahomey Votes for President" (PDF), The New York Times , The New York Times Company, p. 6, retrieved 2008-12-14.
  7. ↑ Decalo 1970 , p. 454.
  8. 1 2 Ronen 1975 , p. 216.
  9. 1 2 Decalo 1973 , p. 470.
  10. ↑ Decalo 1973 , p. 455.
  11. 1 2 Dossou-Yovo 1999 , p. 62.
  12. ↑ Decalo 1973 , p. 85.
  13. 1 2 Decalo 1973 , p. 471.
  14. ↑ Ronen 1975 , p. 219.

Bibliography

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Noel Dossou-Yovo was a Beninese academic. The holder of various degrees, he was head of African Studies at the National University of Benin in Cotonou. Dossou-Yovo held the positions of Deputy Director at the Center of African Family Studies in Nairobi from 1983 to 1996. From 1995 to 1996 he was Senior Advisor for African and Social Affairs of the Head of State in his home country. He was also a prolific writer, penning many articles in academic journals and those at conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. He died on May 5, 2011. He was 67 years old.

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