The Dahomeyan Democratic Movement (, MDD) was a political party in

French Dahomey French Dahomey, officially the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies (), 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 ...

History

The MDD was established in northern Dahomey by Hubert Maga 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 Department, Borgou and Alibori Departments, Benin, and cofounders of the Borgu, Borgu kingdom of what is now northeast Benin and west-ce ...

, and won one of the two Dahomey seats in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

in the June 1951 elections.Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel,

Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An ex ...

& Klaus Landfried (1978) ''Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Erste 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.Joseph-Roger de Benoist (1982) ''Afrique occidentale française de 1944 à 1960'', p540 In 1953 it became the Dahomeyan Democratic Movement. Maga was re-elected to the French National Assembly in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

. 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