| Guinea |
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A constitutional referendum was held in Guinea on 28 September 1958 as part of a wider referendum across all French colonies (and France itself) on whether to adopt the new French Constitution; if accepted, colonies would become part of the new French Community; if rejected, the territory would be granted independence.
Alongside Niger, Guinea was one of only two territories where the major political party campaigned for a "no" vote,[1][2][3] and ultimately was the only colony to reject the constitution and opt for independence.[4] The Democratic Party of Guinea, which had won all but four seats in the Territorial Assembly elections the previous year under the leadership of Ahmed Sékou Touré, pushed for a rejection of the constitution, and on 19 October the party severed its ties with the African Democratic Rally, whose other members were in favour of retaining ties with France.[5]
The results showed that more than 95% of voters voted against the constitution, with a turnout of 85.5%.[6]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 56,981 | 4.78 |
| Against | 1,136,324 | 95.22 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 10,570 | - |
| Total | 1,203,875 | 100 |
| Source: African Elections Database | ||
Following the referendum, Guinea declared independence on 2 October. The French government reacted badly to the result, and although Touré had not been seeking it, withdrew totally from the country and halted any development assistance. As a result, the Guinean government turned to the Communist bloc to request aid, a step which the French government used in pressuring Western countries not to accept the Guinean independence.[7] Upon independence Touré assumed the office of President, and the country soon became a one-party state. Despite various assassination attempts and coup plots, Touré ruled until 1984.[8]
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