General elections were held in
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodes ...
on 19 February 1954.
[ The result was a victory for the ]Federal Party Federal Party may refer to:
* Federal Party (1973) – a provincial political party in modern Argentina
* Federalist Party (Argentina) – a 19th-century political party in Argentina
* Federal Party (Puerto Rico)
* Federal Party (Rhodesi ...
, which won 10 of the 12 elected European seats in the Legislative Council.["Federal Party Success In N. Rhodesia: Mining Area Victories", ''The Times'', 19 February 1954, p7, Issue 52860]
Campaign
Although Geoffrey Beckett Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to:
People
* Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...
, leader of the elected members in the Legislative Council, had called for the elections to be fought on a non-party basis, the Federal Party voted to contest the elections at a congress held on 6 January.[ Beckett was prevented from contesting the elections after his nomination papers were rejected by the ]returning officer
In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies.
Australia
In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a state electoral ...
after he failed to return his declaration form in time.["Mr. G. B. Beckett's Nomination Invalid" ''East Africa and Rhodesia'', 28 January 1954, p678] In Livingstone the local Federal Party selected Llewellyn Oxenham as its candidate, but the party headquarters refused to ratify his nomination, instead nominating Harry Thom, who it was widely thought would stand down if he was elected to allow Beckett to be stand in a by-election.[ The Ndola branch's selection of its candidate being overruled by the party executive after it was claimed new members had been enrolled and votes had been solicited in the bar of the local railway club where the vote took place.][
The ]Confederate Party
The Confederate Party was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
History
The party was formed in 1953 as a successor to the Democratic Party by opponents of the Federation.
In the 1953 federal elections the party contes ...
opted not to contest the elections, although some members were running as independents.[
]
Results
In mining towns Federal Party candidates defeated independents backed by the European Mineworkers Union and the European Salaried Staff Association. The only two seats in which they were defeated were the Midlands constituency near Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was about 3.3 milli ...
(won by John Gaunt) and Livingstone
Livingstone may refer to:
* Livingstone (name), a Scottish surname and a given name.
**David Livingstone (1813–1873), Scottish physician, missionary and explorer, after whom many other Livingstones are named
Places
*Livingstone Falls, on the Con ...
, where Frank Derby
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curr ...
won by 11 votes after the Federal Party vote was split between Oxenham and Thom.["N. Rhodesian Voting Analysed Federal Party's Hold", ''The Times'', 20 February 1954, p5, Issue 52861][ Both Derby and Gaunt were members of the ]Confederate Party
The Confederate Party was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
History
The party was formed in 1953 as a successor to the Democratic Party by opponents of the Federation.
In the 1953 federal elections the party contes ...
. Voter turnout was between 70 and 80% in the mining areas, but lower in other constituencies,[ and around 60% overall.][
]
By constituency
Aftermath
On 13 January four African members (Robinson Nabulyato
Robinson Mwaakwe Nabulyato (28 October 1916 – 12 September 2004) was a Zambian politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia between 1954 and 1958 and then Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia from 1968 ...
from Southern Province, Safeli Chileshe from Central Province, Paskale Sokota from Western Province and Lakement Ngaundu from Northern Province) had been nominated for membership of the Assembly by the Northern Rhodesian African Representative Council from a field of 14 candidates.["N. Rhodesian Changes: Unofficial Members' Responsibilities", ''The Times'', 15 January 2011, p7, Issue 52830]
See also
* List of members of the Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia (1954–58)
References
{{Zambian elections
1954 in Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodes ...
Elections in Zambia