Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office.

  • Colonial Office
Date:
[1959]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    African National Congress decided to advise their members to apply for registration. The leadership of the Zambia African National Congress, which now contained the more extreme African-nationalist elements, declared on the other hand that Africans should play no part under the new constitution, that their supporters would not register as voters or stand as candidates for election, and that they should seek to dissuade others from taking part in the elections. Evidence mounted of intimidation and victimisation by supporters of the Zambia African National Congress of their fellow Africans who were believed to intend to cast their votes, and the risk of violence and disorder on polling day became serious. On 11th March the Safeguard of Elections and Public Safety Regulations were made by the Governor under the Emergency Powers Ordinance to ensure the peaceful conduct of the election. The Zambia African National Congress was declared unlawful under the Societies Ordinance and fifty-six of its leaders were restricted from being present in their usual areas. These firm steps proved successful and on 20th March the general election took place in a calm and orderly fashion. It was gratifying that the percentage poll among African voters was particularly high and over 85 per cent of those registered cast their votes. The number of voters on the roll was 30,234, of whom 20,566 were Europeans, 2,051 were Asians and 7,617 were Africans. The result of the elections, taking into account by-elections in two constituencies held on 9th April, was to give the United Federal Party thirteen of the twenty-two seats for elected members, and leading members of the party were invited to join the Government. Opposition parties, of which the Central Africa Party had the greatest number of members, were returned in nine seats. At the beginning of April the new Government was in office. It con¬ sisted of four ex officio Ministers, one African and four European Mini¬ sters from the United Federal Party, and one independent African Minister. The membership of the new Legislative Council was also completed by the nomination of two official and two unofficial (one African and one Asian) members by the Governor in accordance with the constitution. The initial meeting of this, the Eleventh Legislative Council, opened on 7th April. For the first time, all members of the majority party from whose ranks unofficial Ministers had been appointed took their place as back benchers on the Government side of the House. The leader of the Central Africa Party, as the leader of the largest op¬ position group, assumed the functions of the Leader of the Opposition. Although the firm steps taken by the Government enabled the general election to take place in a calm and orderly fashion, there were during the year incidents which cannot be disconnected from the activities of the Zambia African National Congress. Immediately prior to the elections, between 14th March and 17th March, riots occurred on Chilubi Island
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