This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. Are you certain this article is inappropriate? Excessive Violence Sexual Content Political / Social
Email Address:
Article Id: WHEBN0025460934 Reproduction Date:
In the November 1946 election to the French National Assembly, six parliamentarians were elected from French Equatorial Africa (AEF).[1]
The electorate of French Equatorial Africa was divided into two segments, one elected by common law citizens (first college, i.e. French citizens) and one elected by citizens of professional stature (second college, i.e. Africans who were 21 years and above, and qualified as a member of one of twelve specified categories; civil servants, notables, soldiers and veterans, heads of native collectivities, members of native courts, etc.). In total 110,029 persons were included in the second college, out of a population of 4.4 million.[1] In the Gabon-Moyen-Congo constituency, the first college had 2,805 registered voters.[2] In the Oubangui-Chari-Chad constituency, there were 1,807 registered voters in the first college.[3]
In neighbouring French West Africa the setting up of two separate electoral colleges had caused an uproar, there were generally few reactions from French Equatorial Africa. The Congolese member of the National Assembly, Jean-Félix Tchicaya, was the sole voice from the AEF to condemn the separate electoral college system during the debates in the National Assembly in the run-up to the elections.[1]
Two of the French Equatorial Africa seats were allotted to the first college (one seat shared by Gabon and Moyen-Congo, one shared by Oubangui-Chari and Chad) and four to the second college (one for each of the four territories). Electoral participation (amongst the second college) was 47.8% in Gabon, 64.5% in Chad, 67.7% in Moyen-Congo and 70.1% in Oubangui-Chari.[1]
Jean-Félix Tchicaya (leader of the Congolese Progressive Party) was elected from Moyen-Congo and Jean-Hilaire Aubame was elected from Gabon.[4] Aubame got 7,069 votes, out of 12,528 votes cast.[5] Barthélemy Boganda of the Popular Republican Movement (MRP) was elected from Oubangui-Chari.[6]
For the Chad seat, there were four contestants; Gabriel Lisette of the United Movement of the French Resistance (elected with 7,268 votes, 41.30%), Guy de Boissoudy of the UDSR (6,788 votes, 38.57%), independent candidate Henri Montchamp (2,890 votes, 16.42%) and independent candidate Toura Gaba (651 votes, 3.70%).[7]
Maurice Bayrou was elected from the first college Moyen-Congo/Gabon seat. Bayrou contested the election as an 'independent socialist', supported by the local French administration. His main rival was the SFIO candidate Henri Seignon. Bayrou got 55.1% (around 1195 votes) of the votes and Seignon 39% (846 votes). After the elections, Bayrou joined the Gaullist Rally of the French People.[2][8] UDSR candidate René Malbrant won the Oubangui-Chari-Chad first college seat. He defeated independent candidate Pierre Plumeau with 1,003 votes against 192.[3]