Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, 1953
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The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland general election of December 15, 1953 was the first election to the legislative assembly of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which had been formed a few months before. The election saw a landslide victory for the Federal Party under Godfrey Huggins, who had been Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia for the past 20 years.
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[edit] Composition of the Federal Assembly
Voters elected 35 members of a unicameral Federal Assembly: 14 from Southern Rhodesia constituencies, 8 from Northern Rhodesia constituencies, and four from Nyasaland. In addition, there were three members from each territory representing African interests: one of these was a European and two were African. In Southern Rhodesia only, these positions were elected; in the other territories, the Governor appointed the European member, while an electoral college chose the African members.
[edit] Electoral qualifications
When the Federal constitution was agreed at the London conference of 1953, the qualification for electors in Northern and Southern Rhodesia was taken as the same as those in operation for territorial elections in those territories. Nyasaland did not have direct elections at this point and so was excluded until the Legislative Council there enacted proper provisions.
At the election day, the electorate was comprised as follows:
| Territory | European electors | Asian electors | Coloured electors | African electors | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Rhodesia | 48,869 | 594 | 570 | 441 | 50,474 |
| Northern Rhodesia | 14,588 | 856 | 3 | 15,447 | |
| Nyasaland | 983 | 75 | - | - | 1,058 |
| Total | 64,440 | 2,095 | 444 | 66,979 | |
[edit] Election campaign
The advent of the Federation caused a profound shift in the structure of politics in the Rhodesias. Godfrey Huggins formed the Federal Party to fight the election, merging his own United Party with the opposition Rhodesia Party and incorporating supporters in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Several members of other opposition parties in Southern Rhodesia who supported federation also decided to join the Federal Party. Among them were William Eastwood, from the Rhodesia Labour Party, whose departure was prompted by the initial decision of his Party to fight the elections: Eastwood felt that this would divide supporters of federation. Another opposition member going over to the Federal Party was Ian Smith, who had been elected as a Liberal candidate in the 1948 general election.
Opponents of federation formed the Confederate Party, which advocated a system in the Rhodesias akin to apartheid in South Africa. This issue was also raised by Huggins who campaigned vigorously against it. Huggins believed the policy was unpopular and impractical. A group called the Progressive Party was formed to offer voters a party of the centre-left, but swiftly dissolved when it found organising a difficulty and realised it would not be able to nominate more than about two candidates. There were a few independent candidates, most notably two in Northern Rhodesia. Dr Alexander Scott in Lusaka and Norman Lacey in the copperbelt constituency of Nkana-Chingola both advocated a liberal racial policy similar to that which the Progressive Party had been intending to offer.
One unusual court case arose after nominations. Gaston Thornicroft, a mixed-race man who was described as "living like a European", was refused nomination for the Southern Rhodesia constituency for Europeans to represent African interests on the grounds that he was not a European. He challenged the decision in court but was unsuccessful.
[edit] Results
The state of the parties was:
| Party | Members | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Rhodesia | Nyasaland | Southern Rhodesia | Total | |
| Federal Party | 7 | 4 | 13 | 24 |
| Independents | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| Confederate Party | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 11 | 7 | 17 | 35 |
[edit] Constituency results
[edit] Northern Rhodesia
[edit] Ordinary members
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BROKEN HILL 1,552 (60.3%) |
Roland Welensky | FP | 817 | 87.3 |
| William Kirkwood | CP | 119 | 12.7 | |
| KAFUE 1,015 (62.9%) |
Guillaume François Marais Van Eeden | FP | 441 | 69.1 |
| John Gaunt | CP | 197 | 30.9 | |
| LIVINGSTONE 1,377 (66.7%) |
John Cranmer Graylin | FP | 671 | 73.0 |
| Frank Sheridan Derby | CP | 248 | 27.0 | |
| LUANSHYA-MUFULIRA 3,066 (60.0%) |
Vincent Thomas Joyce | FP | 1,326 | 72.1 |
| Douglas Edgar Charsley | CP | 513 | 27.9 | |
| LUANGWA 889 (61.9%) |
Frank Bruce Robertson | FP | 446 | 81.1 |
| Charles Benjamin Dodkins | CP | 104 | 18.9 | |
| LUSAKA 2,172 (67.4%) |
Dr Alexander Scott | Ind | 758 | 51.8 |
| Ernest Walter Sargeant | FP | 626 | 42.8 | |
| Raymond Beresford Pakenham | CP | 79 | 5.4 | |
| NDOLA 1,946 (57.2%) |
Frank Stephen Owen | FP | 907 | 81.5 |
| Willem Hugo Van Zyl | CP | 206 | 18.5 | |
| NKANA-CHINGOLA 3,490 (66.6%) |
George Wellington Rex L'Ange | FP | 1,819 | 78.2 |
| Edward Brockman Hovelmeier | CP | 392 | 16.9 | |
| Norman Henry Lacey | Ind | 115 | 4.9 |
[edit] Specially elected African members
| Territory | Member | Party |
|---|---|---|
| NORTHERN RHODESIA | Mateyo Kakumbi | Ind |
| Dauti Lawton Yamba | Ind |
[edit] Specially appointed European member
| Territory | Member | Party |
|---|---|---|
| NORTHERN RHODESIA | Dr. John Fearby Campbell Haslam (resigned, December 20, 1954) | Ind |
| Sir John Smith Moffat (appointed December 22, 1954) | Ind |
[edit] Nyasaland
[edit] Ordinary members
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYASALAND Four members 1,058 (85.8%) |
Rupert Cecil Bucquet | FP | 903 | 87.3 |
| John Foot | FP | 879 | ||
| Paul Frederick Brereton | FP | 822 | ||
| Malcolm Palliser Barrow | FP | 808 | ||
| Pranlal Dayaram Lalsodagarwala | Ind | 105 | 9.7 | |
| Alibhai Adambhai Desai | Ind | 85 | ||
| Charles Walsh | CP | 29 | 3.0 |
[edit] Specially elected African members
| Territory | Member | Party |
|---|---|---|
| NYASALAND | Wellington Manoah Chirwa | Ind |
| Clement Robin Kumbikano | Ind |
[edit] Specially appointed European member
| Territory | Member | Party |
|---|---|---|
| NYASALAND | Andrew Beveridge Doig (resigned, June 24, 1958) | Ind |
[edit] Southern Rhodesia
[edit] Ordinary members
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BORDER 3,618 (83.2%) |
Benjamin Disraeli Goldberg | FP | 1,886 | 62.7 |
| Andrew Skeen | CP | 1,123 | 37.3 | |
| BULAWAYO 3,401 (75.9%) |
Donald Macintyre | FP | 1,789 | 69.3 |
| Arthur Lear Smith | CP | 793 | 30.7 | |
| BULAWAYO SUBURBS 3,575 (77.3%) |
William Hives Eastwood | FP | 1,961 | 71.0 |
| William Shaw | CP | 801 | 29.0 | |
| DARWIN 3,547 (79.4%) |
John Moore Caldicott | FP | 1,946 | 69.1 |
| Richard Hunter Christie | CP | 872 | 30.9 | |
| MIDLANDS 3,584 (71.5%) |
Ian Douglas Smith | FP | 1,148 | 44.8 |
| Robert Williamson | Ind | 785 | 30.6 | |
| William Henry Weedon | CP | 629 | 24.6 | |
| MREWA 3,664 (80.3%) |
Neville Gwynne Barrett | FP | 1,816 | 61.7 |
| George Richard Musgrave | CP | 1,126 | 38.3 | |
| SALISBURY 3,995 (72.8%) |
Leslie Manfred Noel Hodson | FP | 2,023 | 69.5 |
| John Liston Dalrymple | CP | 886 | 30.5 | |
| SALISBURY SOUTH 3,665 (75.2%) |
William Alexander Eustace Winterton | FP | 1,496 | 54.3 |
| Hendrik Andries Alberts | CP | 1,261 | 45.7 | |
| SALISBURY SUBURBS 3,649 (77.2%) |
Godfrey Martin Huggins | FP | 2,055 | 73.0 |
| Estcourt Vernon Herbert Cresswell-George | CP | 761 | 27.0 | |
| SALISBURY WEST 3,848 (78.3%) |
James Watson Swan | FP | 2,069 | 68.7 |
| Percy Arthur Newton | CP | 943 | 31.3 | |
| SEBAKWE 3,331 (78.0%) |
John Richard Dendy Young | CP | 1,415 | 54.5 |
| Jacob Letterstedt Smit | FP | 1,182 | 45.5 | |
| UMGUZA 3,675 (78.0%) |
Julius Macdonald Greenfield | FP | 2,072 | 72.3 |
| William Henry Rattham | CP | 795 | 27.7 | |
| UMNIATI 3,484 (75.5%) |
Leslie Major Cullinan | FP | 1,491 | 56.7 |
| James Angus Graham, Marquess Graham | CP | 1,138 | 43.3 | |
| WESTERN 3,375 (73.4%) |
Robert Francis Halsted | FP | 1,593 | 64.3 |
| Andries Bernardus Mentz | CP | 883 | 35.7 |
[edit] Specially elected African members
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MASHONALAND 26,049 (55.9%) |
Jasper Zengeza Savanhu | Ind | 9,447 | 64.9 |
| Stanlake John William Thompson Samkange | Ind | 5,120 | 35.1 | |
| MATABELELAND 24,425 (53.1%) |
Masotsha Mike Hove | Ind | 10,558 | 81.5 |
| Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo | Ind | 2,400 | 18.5 |
[edit] Specially elected European member
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOUTHERN RHODESIA 50,474 (72.4%) |
Rev Percy Ibbotson | Ind | 13,402 | 36.7 |
| Ian Finlay McLean | CP | 10,183 | 27.9 | |
| James Henderson Farquhar | Ind | 8,353 | 22.8 | |
| Henry Alfred Holmes | Ind | 4,621 | 12.6 |
[edit] Changes during the Assembly
[edit] Southern Rhodesia byelection
Rev. Percy Ibbotson, the specially elected European member representing African interests from Southern Rhodesia, died on April 3, 1955. When nominations closed on May 27, 1955, Harry Ellinder Davies was the only candidate to replace him, and was therefore declared elected unopposed.
[edit] Kafue byelection
Guy Van Eeden, who became increasingly opposed to Federal Party policies, was expelled from the party in July 1955 and responded by resigning on July 8, 1955 to seek re-election in his constituency of Kafue (Northern Rhodesia). The byelection was held on October 6, 1955.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KAFUE 1,290 (64.7%) |
Guillaume François Marais Van Eeden | Ind | 500 | 59.9 |
| Geoffrey Bernard Beckett | FP | 305 | 36.5 | |
| Frank Sheridan Derby | Ind CP | 30 | 3.6 |
[edit] Sebakwe byelection
J.R. Dendy Young, the Confederate Party member for Sebakwe (Southern Rhodesia), was appointed as a Judge. He resigned on January 26, 1956, and the byelection to succeed him was held on April 5, 1956. By this time, the Confederate Party had been dissolved and replaced by the Dominion Party.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEBAKWE | Robert Williamson | DP | 805 | 36.7 |
| Dr Morris Isaac Hirsch | FP | 786 | 35.8 | |
| Johannes Mathys de Kock | Com P | 603 | 27.5 |
[edit] Mrewa byelection
Neville Barrett, the Federal Party member for Mrewa (Southern Rhodesia) died on April 15, 1957. The byelection to replace him was held on June 6, 1957.
| Constituency Electorate and turnout |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MREWA 3,853 (67.4%) |
Winston Joseph Field | DP | 1,375 | 52.9 |
| Evan Roy Campbell | FP | 1,223 | 47.1 |
[edit] Mashonaland byelection
Jasper Savanhu, the specially elected African member for Mashonaland (Southern Rhodesia), had problems with the proposed new constitution in terms of its provisions for voters' qualifications. Although his responsibility was to represent the views of Africans, his electorate were predominantly Europeans. He therefore decided to vote for the proposals, but immediately to resign (August 1, 1957) and seek re-election. When nominations closed on September 27, 1957, he was the only candidate nominated, and was therefore declared elected unopposed.
[edit] Seat vacant at dissolution
Paul Brereton (Federal Party), one of the ordinary members for Nyasaland, died on July 21, 1958. The seat was left vacant due to the imminent federal election.
