French legislative election, 1945 (French Sudan−Niger)

Elections to the French National Assembly were held in the constituency of French Sudan−Niger on 21 October 1945 as part of the wider French elections. Two members were elected from two separate electoral colleges. A second round of voting was held for both colleges on 18 November as no candidate received over 50% of the vote in the first round.^[1] Maurice Kaouza and Fily Dabo Sissoko were elected.

Campaign

An attempt to form a unified African bloc for the elections failed due to the number of people seeking to be candidates. Fily Dabo Sissoko was become a well-known a writer, and was popular with chiefs, particularly those from animist groups.^[2] He campaigned on a platform of equal pay for Africans and Europeans, the abolishment of forced labour and the emancipation of women.^[3]

In the second round of the second college elections, opponents of Sissoko have their backing to Mamadou Konaté, a teacher who was well-respected amongst the local intelligentsia.^[3]

Results

Candidate	Party	First round		Second round
		Votes	%	Votes	%
First College
Maurice Kaouza		660	26.6	1,375	58.1
Jean Silvandre	SFIO	632	25.5	912	38.6
Gomis		417	16.8
Trollé		317	12.8
Robert Lattes	Popular Republican Movement	205	8.3
Monmarson		109	4.4	79	3.3
Other candidates		138	5.6
Invalid/blank votes		100	−	31	−
Total		2,578	100	2,397	100
Registered voters/turnout		3,243	79.3	3,243	73.5
Second college
Fily Dabo Sissoko		10,406	38.7	11,277	45.8
Henri Montchamp		4,462	16.6	3,672	14.9
Roland Gougis		3,753	14.0	3,759	15.3
Mamadou Konaté		2,905	10.8	5,242	21.3
Sall Ibrahima		1,433	5.3
Balobo Maiga		961	3.6	666	2.7
Keita Modibo		937	3.5
Hamani Diori		564	2.1
Diarra Trémoko Dratigui		530	2.0
Sidibé Tidiani		448	1.7
Sidibé Mamby		271	1.0
Mariko Siriman		200	0.7
Invalid/blank votes		171	−	108	−
Total		27,014	100	24,724	100
Registered voters/turnout		33,626	80.3	33,643	73.3
Source: Sternberger et al.[1]

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 Sissoko joined the MUR.^[4]

References

1. Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen & Klaus Landfried (1978) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Erster Halbband, pp1249−1250
2. Edward Mortimer (1969) France and the Africans 1944–1960: A political history, Faber, p64
3. Mortimer, p65
4. Mortimer, p72