1946–47 Chadian Representative Council election

none Representative Council elections were held in Chad on 15 December 1946, with a second round of voting on 12 January 1947. Background The French Constituent Assembly elected in 1945 passed law 46.972 on 9 May 1946, creating a 36-member Representative Council for Chad. The council would be elected by a single college by majority vote in one round. There would be two constituencies, each electing 18 seats. The southern constituency would cover Logone, Mayo-Kebbi and Moyen Chari, and a northern constituency covering the rest of the territory. However, the law was not promulgated in French Equatorial Africa. Shortly before the end of its mandate, the new Constituent Assembly elected in June 1946 passed law 46.2152 on 7 October 1946, which annulled law 46.972 and gave the provisional government the power to create representative assemblies by decree. This was duly used by Prime Minister Georges Bidault to issue decree 46.2374 on 25 October 1946, creating representative councils for the territories of French Equatorial Africa.Bernard Lanne (1998) Histoire politique du Tchad de 1945 à 1958: administration, partis, élections, KARTHALA Editions, p98 Electoral system Decree 46.2374 provided for a 30-seat Representative Council, with a term of five years. Ten seats were elected by a First College consisting of French citizens with civil status and twenty by a Second College comprising citizens with personal status or those from areas under French administration (i.e. Cameroon and French Togoland).Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen & Klaus Landfried (1978) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Erster Halbband, pp2219–2220 de The elections were held using the two-round system, with candidates required to receive a majority of the vote (and for their vote share to be higher than 25% of the registered electorate) to be elected in the first round. In the second round only a plurality was needed. Order 3267 on 18 November 1946 created the constituencies used, with seats allocated based on population rather than the number of registered voters:Lanne, p99 ConstituencyPrefecturesSeatsElectorateFirst collegeNorthBET, Ouaddaï, Salamat (minus Melfi)4224South-WestRest of Chad6611Second CollegeIBET, Kanem, Massakory24,292IIOuaddaï43,669IIIBatha, Salamat (minus Melfi)33,160IVBongor, Fort Lamy, Chari-Baguirmi (minus Massakory), Melfi35,547VLogone (minus Doba), Mayo-Kébbi (minus Bongor)54,781VIDoba, Moyen-Chari36,470 Results First College In the North constituency all four seats were won in the first round by the Republican Union of Chad candidates, with the Union of Left Republicans candidates receiving between 58 and 62 votes. In the South-West constituency, two candidates from Albert Blanchard's Independent List were elected in the first round, forcing a second round of voting to decide the other four seats, with Blanchard himself failing to be elected in the first round. Blanchard's list was competing with a second independent list and the Republican Union of Chad. In the second round the best-placed candidate of the second independent list received only 79 votes.Lanne, pp104–105 ConstituencyCandidatePartyFirstroundSecondroundNotesNorthEugène SabinRepublican Union of Chad79 ElectedJoseph SchaeffertRepublican Union of Chad75ElectedWilliam TardrewRepublican Union of Chad74ElectedMarcel LalliaRepublican Union of Chad73Elected Union of Left Republicans58–62South-WestLouis RichardIndependent List203ElectedMarcel VincentIndependent List191ElectedAlbert BlanchardIndependent List168171ElectedJean AnceauIndependent List153164ElectedLaïdetIndependent List145 Antoine LaubieIndependent List133150MartelIndependent List–155ElectedAndré KiefferRepublican Union of Chad163170ElectedValid votes500376Invalid/blank votes100Total votes510376Registered voters/turnout835611Source: Lanne Second College In the Second College, electoral manipulation by the French authorities resulted in conservative candidates winning 13 of the 20 seats. The African Democratic Bloc of Ouaddaï (BADO) filed a complaint, which led to an official inspection. Although the report found a disproportionately high voter turnout in the district of Biltine, Chad and that BADO had obtained the majority of votes in Abéché, the result was not overturned.Lanne, p102 Chadian-French Progressive List 4842 7 Progressive and Republican Union of Chad 3663 6 Republican Union 2598 4 List of Independents 1681 3 Communist List 1078 0 Franco-Chadian Progressive Group 1010 0 African Democratic Bloc of Ouaddaï 376 0 Independent List 311 0 110 0 27919 Lanne Elected MPs ConstituencyElected memberPartyFirst CollegeNorthEugène SabinRepublican Union of ChadJoseph SchaeffertRepublican Union of ChadWilliam TardrewRepublican Union of ChadMarcel LalliaRepublican Union of ChadSouth-WestLouis RichardList of IndependentsMarcel VincentIndependent ListAlbert BlanchardIndependent ListJean AnceauIndependent ListMartelIndependent ListAndré KiefferRepublican Union of ChadSecond CollegeIAlifa ZezertiChadian-French Progressive ListMohamed Bechir-SowChadian-French Progressive ListIIHenri MontchampRepublican UnionBaroud Adoum MahamatRepublican UnionAbderrahman DialloRepublican UnionBrahim MoustafaRepublican UnionIIIArabi el GoniList of IndependentsAdoum AganayeList of IndependentsKadre AlioList of IndependentsIVMarcel TournadeProgressive and Republican Union of ChadIbrahim BabikirProgressive and Republican Union of ChadN'Daw AliouneProgressive and Republican Union of ChadVOuaïdouChadian-French Progressive ListTobio dit MarkinzayeChadian-French Progressive ListGontchomé SahoulbaChadian-French Progressive ListPaul NodjoudouChadian-French Progressive ListRené ManguetChadian-French Progressive ListVIToura GabaProgressive and Republican Union of ChadMarc DouniaProgressive and Republican Union of ChadKodebri NaguéProgressive and Republican Union of Chad Aftermath Following the elections, three distinct political groups emerged in the Second College; members of the Chadian-French Progressive List (7 seats), Republican Union (four seats) and Franco-Chadian Progressive Group (unrepresented) formed the Chadian Democratic Union (UDT). A group which later became the Chadian Progressive Party (PPT) was formed by the Progressive and Republican Union of Chad (six seats), BADO and the Communist list (both unrepresented). The third group was made up of the three independents; Adoum Aganaye joined the PPT, whilst Kadre Alio and Arabi el Goni joined the UDT, giving the UDT thirteen seats and the PPT seven. The Representative Council met for the first time on 30 January 1947 at 8am, when its first session was opened by Governoer Jacques Rogué.Lanne, p106 References Chad Chad Category:Parliamentary elections in Chad Representative Representative Chad Chad