The Dahomeyan Democratic Movement (french: Mouvement Démocratique Dahoméen, MDD) was a political party in

French Dahomey French Dahomey was a French colony and part of French West Africa from 1894 to 1958. After World War II, by the establishment of the French Fourth Republic in 1947, Dahomey became part of the French Union with an increased autonomy. On 4 Octob ...

History

The MDD was established in northern Dahomey by

Hubert Maga Coutoucou Hubert Maga (August 10, 1916 – May 8, 2000) was a politician from Dahomey (now known as Benin).Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. Se''New York Times'' obituary He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what regi ...

in 1951 as the Ethnic Group of the North (''Groupement Ethnique du Nord'', GEN). Maga had previously been a member of the ruling Dahomeyan Progressive Union, but was encouraged to split from the party by the local French administrator Roger Péperty. Maga gained support from his

Bariba people The Bariba people, self designation ''Baatonu'' (plural ''Baatombu),'' are the principal inhabitants of Borgou and Alibori Departments, Benin, and cofounders of the Borgu kingdom of what is now northeast Benin and west-central Nigeria. In Niger ...

, and won one of the two Dahomey seats in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

in the June 1951 elections.Sternberger, D, Vogel, B, Nohlen, D & Landfried, K (1978) ''Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Ereste Halbband'', p530 The party won 9 of the 32 second college seats in the 1952 Territorial Assembly elections, emerging as the second-largest faction behind the

Republican Party of Dahomey The Republican Party of Dahomey (french: Parti Républicain Dahoméen, PRD) was a political party in French Dahomey led by Sourou-Migan Apithy. History The party was established by Apithy in 1951.Mathurin C Houngnikpo & Samuel Decalo (2012) ''Hi ...

. In 1953 it became the Dahomeyan Democratic Movement. Maga was re-elected to the French National Assembly in 1956. The MDD was reduced to six seats in the 1957 Territorial Assembly elections, and in August 1957 it merged with the Independents of the North party led by Paul Darboux to form the Dahomeyan Democratic Rally.Houngnikpo & Decalo, p305

References

Defunct political parties in Benin Political parties established in 1951 Political parties disestablished in 1957 1951 establishments in French West Africa {{Benin-stub