1948 Upper Voltan Territorial Assembly election

Territorial Assembly elections were held in French Upper Volta on 30 May 1948, with a second round on 20 June.[1] They were the first elections to the new Territorial Assembly, which had been created following the separation of Upper Volta from Ivory Coast the previous year.[2]

Electoral system

The Territorial Assembly had 50 seats, with 10 elected by the First College (French citizens) and 40 by the Second College (non-French citizens).[3] The 1948 elections elected an additional 24 seats; six to the first college and 16 to the second.[1]

Campaign

Governor Albert Mouragues was accused of favouring the Voltaic Union over the African Democratic Rally-affiliated Entente Voltaïque (EV),[2] with some commandants "using strong-arm methods" against the EV candidates, whilst a significant number of EV supporters were imprisoned.[4]

Results

Party	First round			Second round			Total seats
	Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
First College
Rally of the French People			3				3
Union List			3				3
Total	784	100	6	–	–	–	6
Registered voters/turnout	1,382	56.7	–	–	–	–	–
Second College
Voltaic Union			7			3	10
African Democratic Rally			2			2	4
Community of Yatenga			1			0	1
AC			1			0	1
Total	78,895	100	11			5	16
Registered voters/turnout	137,293	57.4	–			–	–
Source: De Benoist

References

1. Joseph-Roger de Benoist (1982) Afrique occidentale française de 1944 à 1960, p538
2. Lawrence Rupley, Lamissa Bangali & Boureima Diamitani (2013) Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso, Rowman & Littlefield, pxli
3. Virginia Thompson & Richard Adloff (1958) French West Africa, Stanford University Press, p56
4. Thompson & Adloff, p175