Constitutional referendum in Niger in 1958

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The constitutional referendum in Niger in 1958 took place on September 28, 1958. The majority of Nigeria's eligible voters voted for the adoption of the Constitution of the Fifth French Republic and thus for Niger to remain with France within the French Community .

background

The new French Constitution was also put to the vote in the French overseas territories. The referendum was de facto also a referendum on independence: a rejection meant immediate independence from France, an approval an extended autonomy of the territory. In Niger, the ruling Sawaba party campaigned for a no, while the opposition Nigerian Progressive Party advocated a yes.

Result

Of 1,320,174 registered voters, 493,953 went to the polls. This corresponds to a voter turnout of 37.4%. Of the ballots submitted, 474,778 were considered valid and 19,175 were considered invalid.

be right proportion of
Yes 372.383 78.43%
No 102.395 21.57%

The vote is believed to have been manipulated by the French administration under Governor Don Jean Colombani .

consequences

Niger became an autonomous republic. Sawaba, the anti-French loser in the election, was ousted from power. The pro-French Nigerian Progressive Party was constituted as a unity party and led Niger to independence in the African year 1960.

literature

  • Finn Fuglestad : Djibo Bakary, the French, and the Referendum of 1958 in Niger . In: Journal of African History . tape 14 , no. 2 , 1973, p. 313-330 .
  • Klaas van Walraven: Decolonization by Referendum: The Anomaly of Niger and the Fall of Sawaba, 1958–1959 . In: Journal of African History . tape 50 , no. 2 , 2009, p. 269-292 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Abdourahmane Idrissa, Samuel Decalo: Historical Dictionary of Niger . 4th edition. Scarecrow, Plymouth 2012, ISBN 978-0-8108-6094-0 , pp. 140-141 .
  2. ^ A b Abdourahmane Idrissa, Samuel Decalo: Historical Dictionary of Niger . 4th edition. Scarecrow, Plymouth 2012, ISBN 978-0-8108-6094-0 , pp. 85 .
  3. ^ Elections in Niger. African Elections Database, October 30, 2011, accessed March 22, 2013 .