1945 French legislative election in Cameroon

none Elections to the French National Assembly were held in French Cameroons on 21 October 1945, with a second round of voting on 18 November.Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen & Klaus Landfried (1978) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Erster Halbband, pp902–903 Louis-Paul Aujoulat and Alexandre Douala Manga Bell were elected. Electoral system The two seats allocated to the constituency were elected on two separate electoral rolls; French citizens elected one MP from the first college, whilst non-citizens elected one MP in the second college. Background The relationship between the French and the African population of Cameroon were poor at the time of the election; the Africans were unenthusiastic about French colonialism and their economic situation. Although trade unions had been legalised in 1944, commercial interests had subsequently formed the Etats Généreaux de la Colonisation Française, which opposed abolishing forced labour. Announcements from the new body infuriated African workers, leading to the strikes starting on 24 September, which turned into full-scale riots. The violence led to the deaths of eight Africans and the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce.Edward Mortimer (1969) France and the Africans 1944–1960: A political history, Faber, p67 Campaign Alexandre Douala Manga Bell, chief of the Duala, ran for the second college, but was opposed by Governor Henri Pierre Nicolas. Although some of his supporters were jailed, this only served to increase his popularity. The first college election was a close race between Louis-Paul Aujoulat, a Catholic missionary, defeating the candidate representing commercial interests. Results First College Louis-Paul Aujoulat 371 640 Georges Molinatti 322 365 Jules Ninine 316 349 Seven other candidates 358 45 26 1991 1970 Sternberger et al. Second College Alexandre Douala Manga Bell 3779 5274 André Fouda 1648 4612 Njoya Arouna 1654 Amougu 1061 Pierre Ripaud 214 197 Albert Rouly 131 133 Five other candidates 1260 132 102 12468 12588 Sternberger et al. Aftermath Following the elections, Senegalese MP Lamine Guèye attempted to persuade all the African MPs to form an African Bloc, which would be affiliated with the SFIO. However, the attempt failed, and both Aujoulat and Douala Manga Bell joined the Popular Republican Movement.Mortimer, p72 References Cameroon Cameroon Category:French elections in Cameroon French Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results Cameroon