General elections were held in Sierra Leone on 17 March 1967. They were won by the opposition All People's Congress, marking the first time that a ruling party had lost an election in

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

(excluding white-ruled South Africa and Southern Rhodesia).End of the Exception
Time, 31 March 1967 However, the APC was overthrown in a military coup hours after taking power. The party was later restored to office after a counter-coup the following year and established a long-standing dictatorship.

Background

Although the Sierra Leone People's Party had won the previous elections in 1962, it had become increasingly unpopular, in part due to Albert Margai's unsuccessful attempts to convert the country into a one-party state, accusations of corruption, and an attempt to prevent opposition parties running against him and three other SLPP candidates. There was also an ethnic dimension to the elections; the SLPP tended to be supported by the Mende, Sherbro and Fula, whilst the APC was more popular amongst the Temne, Susu, Loko,

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Mandingo (play)'', a play by Jack Kir ...

and Creoles. Antagonism towards the SLPP had grown due to the Margai's promotion of several Mendes to prominent positions with the country's civil service and the fact that the group were beginning to dominate the country's army.Donald L. Horowitz (1985
''Ethnic Groups in Conflict''
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Results

Aftermath

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston swore in APC leader Siaka Stevens as the country's new Prime Minister on 21 March. Hours later, Stevens was overthrown in a coup led by David Lansana. The army put both Stevens and Boston under house arrest on the grounds that any change of government should have awaited the election of the tribal representatives to the House of Representatives. Lansana was then removed from power on 23 March by a group led Andrew Juxon-Smith which named themselves the National Reformation Council. They suspended the constitution and placed Margai under arrest. On 18 April 1968 a "

sergeants' revolt The Cuban Revolution of 1933 ( es, Revolución cubana de 1933), also called the Revolt of the Sergeants, was a coup d'état that occurred in Cuba in September 1933. It began as a revolt of sergeants and enlisted men in the military, who soon allie ...

" was carried out by the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement led by John Amadu Bangura. NRC members were imprisoned, and other army and police officers deposed. Stevens was allowed to assume the office of Prime Minister under the restored constitution.

References

{{Sierra Leonean elections Elections in Sierra Leone Sierra Leone 1967 in Sierra Leone Annulled elections Election and referendum articles with incomplete results