General elections were held in

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

on 9 April 1961, alongside a

constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

. It was the first time the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

had been directly elected, and Prime Minister

Sylvanus Olympio Sylvanus Épiphanio Olympio (; 6 September 1902 – 13 January 1963) was a Togolese politician who served as prime minister, and then president, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination in 1963. He came from the important Olympio family, wh ...

of the

Party of Togolese Unity The Party of Togolese Unity (french: Parti de l'unité togolaise, PUT), initially known as the Committee of Togolese Unity (''Comité de l'unité togolaise'', CUT) until 1963, was a political party in Togo. The party was formed on 13 March 1941 ...

was the only candidate. He was elected unopposed, with the PUT won all 52 seats in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

. Voter turnout was 90.0%.

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 expe ...

, Michael Krennerich & Bernard Thibaut (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p903

Results

President

National Assembly

References

{{Togolese elections

1961 in Togo Elections in Togo Single-candidate elections One-party elections Presidential elections in Togo April 1961 events in Africa