The Dahomeyan Democratic Union (french: Union Démocratique Dahoméenne, UDD) was a political party in French Dahomey.

History

The UDD was established in 1955 by a merger of the

Dahomeyan Progressive Union The Dahomeyean Progressive Union (french: Union Progressiste Dahoméenne, 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 par ...

(UPD) and the

African People's Bloc The African People's Bloc (french: Bloc Populaire Africain, BPA) was a political party in French Dahomey. History The party was established in 1946 by Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin and Émile Poisson due to their dissatisfaction with the polici ...

(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 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 traditional ...

and

Cotonou Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a 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 ci ...

. The party failed to win a seat in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

in the 1956 elections, and split into two factions later in the year over the issue of affiliation with the African Democratic Rally (RDA); former BPA leader Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin became head of the dominant RDA faction, whilst Alexandre Adandé and former UPD leader Émile Derlin Zinsou 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 (french: Rassemblement Démocratique Dahoméen, RDD) was a political party in French Dahomey led by Hubert Maga. History The party was established in August 1957 by a merger of the Dahomeyan Democratic Movement led ...

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

Republican Party of Dahomey The Republican Party of Dahomey (french: Parti Républicain Dahoméen, 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) ''Hi ...

(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 held the following year, the

Dahomeyan Unity Party The Dahomeyan Unity Party (french: Parti Dahoméen de l'Unité, 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-M ...

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

Hubert Maga Coutoucou Hubert Maga (August 10, 1916 – May 8, 2000) was a politician from Dahomey (now known as Benin).Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. Se''New York Times'' obituary He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what regi ...

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