Territorial Council elections were held in

French Somaliland French Somaliland (; ; ) was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. It existed between 1884 and 1967, at which became the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. The Republic of Djibouti is its legal successor state. History French Somalil ...

on 23 June 1957.Virginia Thompson & Richard Adloff (1968) ''Djibouti and the Horn of Africa'', Stanford University Press, p66 The Republican Union won all 30 seats.Thompson & Adloff, p68

Background

The elections were the first held under the

loi cadre The ''loi-cadre'' (Reform Act) was a French legal reform passed by the French National Assembly on 23 June 1956, named after overseas minister Gaston Defferre. It marked a turning point in relations between France and its overseas empire. Under ...

system, which granted equal voting rights to all residents and scrapped the dual college system. The new electoral system led to the creation of the territory's first real political parties;

Harbi Farah Mahamoud Mahamoud Harbi Farah (Arabic: محمود الحربي; Somali: Maxamuud Xarbi Faarax) (1921 – 29 September 1960) was a Djiboutian politician of Somali ethnicity. A pan-Somalist, he was the Vice President of the Government Council of Fren ...

formed the Republican Union, whilst

Hassan Gouled Aptidon Hassan Gouled Aptidon (; ; October 15, 1916 – November 21, 2006) was the first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999. Biography He was born in the small village of Gerisa in the Lughaya district in British Somaliland. He was born into the ...

established the

Defence of Economic and Social Interests of the Territory Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

(DIEST) party. Mahamoud (a member of 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 repr ...

), Aptidon (a member of the Council of the Republic) and Mohamed Kamil (a member of the French Union Assembly) all sought to implement the new system in a way that favoured their own parties; Harbi produced a draft decree in late 1956 that would increase the number of constituencies from three to four, and give 20 of the 32 seats in an enlarged Council to the city of

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

. Kamil, supported by Aptidon, proposed a 30 member Council, with Djibouti having 13 seats and

Obock Obock (also Obok, , ) is a small port town in Djibouti. It is located on the Northern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura, where it opens out into the Gulf of Aden. The town is home to an airstrip and has ferries to Djibouti City. The French form Ob ...

–

Tadjoura Tadjoura (; ; ) is one of the oldest towns in Djibouti and the capital of the Tadjourah Region. The town rose to prominence in the early 19th century as an alternative port to nearby Zeila. Lying on the Gulf of Tadjoura, it is home to a popula ...

and

Ali Sabieh Ali Sabieh (, ) is the second largest city in Djibouti. It is situated about Southwest of Djibouti City and north of the border with Ethiopia. It sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by granitic mountains on all sides. Ali Sabieh's mild climate m ...

–

Dikhil Dikhil () is a town in the western Dikhil Region of Djibouti. Lying east of Lake Abbe, It is situated about southwest of Djibouti City and north of the border with Ethiopia. It serves as the administrative centre of the Dikhil Region, and ...

six each. However, other members of the Union Assembly reduced the number of members to 25.Thompson & Adloff, pp66–67

Electoral system

Ultimately the French Government approved a 30-member Council in which Djibouti had 18 seats and Obock–Tadjoura and Ali Sabieh–Dikhil had six seats each.Thompson & Adloff, p67 The right to vote was restricted to native men and French citizens who had lived in the territory for at least a year.

Results

Seats won by ethnic group

Aftermath

Following the elections, Harbi Farah Mahamoud became Vice President of the Government Council (the post of President was held by the Governor). His cabinet included: *Minister of Education: Pierre Blin *Minister of Finance: Ali Coubèche *Minister of Health: Ibrahmin Sultan *Minister of the Civil Service: Osman Ali *Minister of the Interior: Hamed Hassan Liban *Minister of the Port and Public Works: Harbi Farah Mahamoud

References

{{Djiboutian elections

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

Parliamentary elections in Djibouti

Election and referendum articles with incomplete results