French Sudan parliamentary election, 1959

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Parliamentary elections were held in French Sudan on 8 March 1959. The result was a victory for the Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally (US-RDA), which won all 80 seats. Voter turnout was just 32.3%. [1] The following year, French Sudan declared independence as Mali, and was declared a one-party state with the US-RDA as the sole legal party. As a result, these would be the last multi-party elections held in the country until 1992.

French Sudan former French colonial territory

French Sudan was a French colonial territory in the federation of French West Africa from around 1880 until 1960, when it became the independent state of Mali. The colony was formally called French Sudan from 1890 until 1899 and then again from 1921 until 1958, and had a variety of different names over the course of its existence. The colony was initially established largely as a military project led by French troops, but in the mid-1890s it came under civilian administration.

The Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally was a political party in Mali.

Mali republic in West Africa

Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa, a region geologically identified with the West African Craton. Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of just over 1,240,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi). The population of Mali is 18 million. Its capital is Bamako. The sovereign state of Mali consists of eight regions and its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara Desert, while the country's southern part, where the majority of inhabitants live, features the Niger and Senegal rivers. The country's economy centers on agriculture and mining. Some of Mali's prominent natural resources include gold, being the third largest producer of gold in the African continent, and salt.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally 515,86976.080
Sudanese Regroupment Party 162,90624.00
Invalid/blank votes14,560
Total693,33510080
Source: Nohlen et al.

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References

  1. Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p578 ISBN   0-19-829645-2