The Union for the Franco-African Community (french: Union pour la Communauté Franco-Africaine, UCFA) was a
political alliance
A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used differ ...
Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori (6 June 1916 – 23 April 1989) was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence. Although corruption was a common feature of his administration, he gained in ...
. The PPN had finished second in the 1957 elections, winning 19 of the 60 seats (
Sawaba
The Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress–Sawaba (french: Union des Forces Populaires pour la Démocratie et le Progrès – Sawaba, UDFP–Sawaba) is a political party in Niger, founded as the Nigerien Democratic Union (''Union D ...
had won the other 41), whilst the PRA had been founded earlier in 1958.
The December 1958 elections saw the alliance win 49 of the 60 seats. The results in
Tessaoua
Tessaoua, formerly known as Tessawa, is a city located in the Maradi Region of Niger. It has a population of 31,667 (2001 census). Tessaoua is historically an important city in its region. It is situated in a central geographical location. Tessa ...
and
Zinder
Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census);
(where Sawaba had won its 11 seats) were later annulled due to irregularities, with the Tessaoua seats awarded to the UCFA, and a by-election scheduled for Zinder. However, ballot papers were only printed for the PPN, and due to fears of violence, Sawaba did not put up candidates, calling for a boycott instead.Klaas van Walraven (2013) ''The Yearning for Relief: A History of the Sawaba Movement in Niger'', BRILL, pp288–290 As a result, the UCFA gained control of all 60 seats.
Following independence the country became a one-party state under the PPN with Diori as president.