Gold Coast legislative election, 1956

A voter receives a ballot paper from a polling assistant at Kumbungu Polling Station in the Northern Territories.
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Ghana
Constitution

Elections for the Legislative Assembly were held in the Gold Coast (soon to become Ghana) on 17 July 1956. They were won by Kwame Nkrumah's Convention People's Party, which took 71 of the 104 seats.[1]

A new constitution, approved on 29 April 1954, established a cabinet composed of African ministers drawn from an all-African legislature chosen by direct election. In the elections that followed, the Convention People's Party won the majority of seats in the new Legislative Assembly.

Background

A new constitution, approved on 29 April 1954, established a cabinet composed of African ministers drawn from an all-African legislature chosen by direct election. In the elections that followed, the Convention People's Party won the majority of seats in the new Legislative Assembly. In May 1956, Prime Minister Nkrumah's government issued a white paper containing proposals for Gold Coast independence. The British Government stated it would agree to a firm date for independence if a reasonable majority for such a step were obtained in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly after a general election.

Results

Party Votes % Seats +/-
Convention People's Party398,14157.171–1
National Liberation Movement145,65720.912New
Northern People's Party72,44010.4150
Togoland Congress20,3522.92–1
Muslim Association Party11,1111.610
Federation of Youth10,7451.51New
Independents38,8115.62–9
Invalid/blank votes
Total697,2571001040
Registered voters/turnout1,392,874
Source: Nohlen et al.

Aftermath

After pro-independence parties won a convincing majority, the British government agreed to grant the colony independence. This happened on 6 March 1957, with the country renamed Ghana. Initially a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II as head of State, the country's democratic credentials were hampered by the Preventive Detention Act (1958). In 1960 a referendum resulted in the country becoming a republic with a presidential form of government, and in 1964 it became a one-party state. Nkrumah was eventually overthrown in 1966.

References

  1. Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p435 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/24/2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.