The Dahomeyan Democratic Union (, UDD) 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 UDD was established in 1955 by a merger of the

Dahomeyan Progressive Union The Dahomeyean Progressive Union (, UPD) was a political party in Dahomey. History The party was established in April 1946 by Augustin Kokou Azango and Émile Derlin Zinsou, and was the first political party in the territory.Patrick Manning (2 ...

(UPD) and the African People's Bloc (BPA). It aimed to be a nationwide party, but despite initially gaining support from across the country, it quickly became identified as the party of the Fon of

Abomey Agbome or Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small tr ...

and

Cotonou Cotonou (; ) is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies ...

. The party failed to win a seat 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

1956 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1956. Africa * 1956 Gold Coast legislative election * 1956 Italian Somaliland parliamentary election * 1956–1957 Kenyan legislative election * 1956 Nyasaland general election Asia * 1956 Burmese gene ...

, and split into two factions later in the year over the issue of affiliation with the

African Democratic Rally African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** List ...

(RDA); former BPA leader

Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin (January 16, 1917 – March 8, 2002) was a Beninese politician most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region of Dahomey one lived i ...

became head of the dominant RDA faction, whilst Alexandre Adandé and former UPD leader

Émile Derlin Zinsou Émile Derlin Zinsou (23 March 1918 – 28 July 2016) was a Beninese politician and physician who was the List of heads of state of Benin, President of Dahomey (now Benin) from 17 July 1968 until 10 December 1969, supported by the military regim ...

headed the smaller UDD-Convention.Patrick Manning (2004) ''Slavery, Colonialism and Economic Growth in Dahomey, 1640-1960'', Cambridge University Press, p. 279 Despite its internal problems and regionalised support base, the UDD emerged as the second-largest party in the 1957 Territorial Assembly elections, winning seven seats. However, the 1959 elections produced an unbalanced result; although the UDD received 44% of the vote, more than any other party, it won just 11 of the 70 seats in the Territorial Assembly, whilst the

Dahomeyan Democratic Rally The Dahomeyan Democratic Rally (, RDD) was a political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas abou ...

(RDD) won 22 seats with 17% of the vote and the

Republican Party of Dahomey The Republican Party of Dahomey (, 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) ''Historical Dictionary of Benin'', Sca ...

(PRD) took 37 seats, more than three times the number of the UDD.Mathurin C Houngnikpo & Samuel Decalo (2012) ''Historical Dictionary of Benin'', Scarecrow Press, p. 286 Following the elections, accusations of fraud led to an agreement being reached with the PRD to redistribute nine seats. Although this increased the UDD's seat tally to 20, it was still the smallest party in the Assembly.Elections in Benin
African Elections Database In

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

held the following year, the

Dahomeyan Unity Party The Dahomeyan Unity Party (, PDU) was a political party in the Republic of Dahomey. History The party was established on 13 November 1960 by the merger of the Republican Party of Dahomey (PRD) led by Sourou-Migan Apithy, the Dahomeyan Democrat ...

, a merger of the PRD and the RDD, won every seat after President

Hubert Maga Hubert Coutoucou Maga (August 10, 1916 – May 8, 2000) was a politician from Dahomey (now known as Benin). Born a peasant in 1916, Maga served as a schoolmaster from 1936 to 1945, during which time he gradually gained considerable influence among ...

changed the electoral system, leaving the UDD without parliamentary representation. Following the elections, the UDD was banned on 11 April 1961 and Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin was imprisoned.''Dictionary of African Biography'', Oxford University Press, p. 139

References

{{Beninese political parties Defunct political parties in Benin Political parties established in 1955 Political parties disestablished in 1961 Rassemblement Démocratique Africain 1955 establishments in French West Africa