General elections were held in the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

in June 1946.British Gold Coast/Togoland (1946-1957)
University of Central Arkansas Constitutional amendments on 29 March 1946 enabled the colony to be the first in Africa to have a majority of black members in its legislature; of the Legislative Council's 32 members, 21 were black, including all 18 elected members. The first meeting of the Legislative Council was on 23 July 1946."The King's Message To Gold Coast", ''The Times'', 24 July 1946, p3, issue 50511

Background

A new constitution was promulgated by an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

on 29 March 1946."Gold Coast's New Constitution", ''The Times'', 29 March 1946, p3, issue 50413 The new Legislative Council would have 18 elected members and 14 nominated members, and for the first time would oversee the administration of the

Ashanti Colony Ashanti may refer to: * Ashanti people, an ethnic group in West Africa ** Ashanti Empire, a pre-colonial West African state in what is now southern Ghana ** Ashanti dialect or Asante, a literary dialect of the Akan language of southern Ghana ** ...

, which had previously been directly ruled by the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Five members would be popularly elected: two from Accra, and one each from Cape Coast,

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...

and

Sekondi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indu ...

. Although these towns had universal suffrage, candidates had to meet strict property requirements. The remainder would be elected in the provinces, by joint provincial councils, having previously been elected by provincial councils alone. The new constitution demanded elections within three months of its promulgation and the first meeting of the Council within four months.

Results

In the provinces, the Asante Confederacy Council elected two chiefs and two commoners, including I. K. Agyeman, while the Joint Provincial Council of Chiefs elected seven royals and two commoners: C. G. Baeta and

J. B. Danquah Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah (18 December 1895 – 4 February 1965) was a Ghanaian politician, scholar, lawyer, and one of the founding fathers of Ghana. He played a significant role in pre- and post-colonial Ghana, which was former ...

. The two members elected in Accra were Frederick Nanka-Bruce and Akilagpa Sawyerr, both from the Accra Ratepayers' Association, while Charles William Tachie-Mension was elected in Takoradi. The governor nominated Robert Ben-Smith, E. E. Dadzie,

Nii Amaa Ollennu Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu (21 May 1906 – 22 December 1986) was a jurist and judge who became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 1962 to 1966, the acting President of Ghana during the Second Republic from 7 August 1970 to 31 Augu ...

, M. B. Taylor and H. W. Thomas.

References

{{Ghanaian elections

1946 in Gold Coast (British colony) Elections in Ghana 1946 elections in the British Empire