1944 Northern Rhodesian general election
| Zambia portal |
General elections were held in Northern Rhodesia on 29 September 1944.[1]
Electoral system
The eight elected members of the Legislative Council were elected from eight single-member constituencies.[2] There were a total of 6,527 registered voters.[2]
| Constituency | Settlements | Registered voters |
|---|---|---|
| Broken Hill | Broken Hill, Mkushi, Serenje | 950 |
| Livingstone and Western | Balovale, Kalabo, Livingstone, Mankoya, Mongu–Lealui, Senanga, Sesheke | 469 |
| Luanshya | Luanshya, Mufulira | 1,497 |
| Midland | Broken Hill (South), Lusaka, Mumbwa | 648 |
| Ndola | Fort Rosebery, Kasempa, Kawambwa, Mwinilunga, Ndola | 656 |
| Nkana | Chingola, Nkana | 1,771 |
| North-Eastern | Abercorn, Chinsali, Fort Jameson, Isoka, Kasama, Lundazi, Luwingu, Mpika, Mporokoso, Petauke | 270 |
| Southern | Mazabuka, Namwala | 266 |
| Source: Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia[2] | ||
Campaign
All constituencies were contested by more than one candidate with the exception of Broken Hill, where Labour Party leader Roy Welensky was returned unopposed.[3]
The incumbent members for Livingstone and Western (Francis Sinclair), Luanshya (Michael McGann) and Nkana (Martin Visagie) did not run for re-election.[3]
Results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broken Hill | |||||
| Roy Welensky | Labour Party | Re-elected unopposed | |||
| Total | |||||
| Livingstone and Western | |||||
| Hedley Priest | Labour Party | 223 | 69.91 | Elected | |
| Robert Hood Orr | Independent Labour | 96 | 30.09 | ||
| Total | 319 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 469 | – | |||
| Luanshya | |||||
| James Morris | Independent | 406 | 50.50 | Elected | |
| Francis Edward John Patrick Murray | Labour Party | 398 | 49.50 | ||
| Total | 804 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,497 | – | |||
| Midland | |||||
| Hugh Kennedy McKee | Independent | 212 | 40.85 | Re-elected | |
| Marais von Eeden | Independent | 183 | 35.26 | ||
| Edwin Bernard Evans | Labour Party | 124 | 23.89 | ||
| Total | 519 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 648 | – | |||
| Ndola | |||||
| Godfrey Pelletier | Independent | 223 | 50.57 | Re-elected | |
| Charles Allan | Labour Party | 218 | 49.43 | ||
| Total | 441 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 656 | – | |||
| Nkana | |||||
| Brian Goodwin | Independent Labour | 573 | 55.96 | Elected | |
| James Knock Wykerd | Labour Party | 451 | 44.04 | ||
| Total | 1,024 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,771 | – | |||
| North-Eastern | |||||
| Thomas Spurgeon Page | 94 | 51.93 | Re-elected | ||
| Grant Bruce Robertson | Independent | 87 | 48.07 | ||
| Total | 181 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 270 | – | |||
| Southern | |||||
| Richard Ernest Campbell | Independent | 95 | 51.35 | Re-elected | |
| John Milton Walker | 90 | 48.65 | |||
| Total | 185 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 266 | – | |||
| Source: East Africa and Rhodesia,[4] Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia[2] | |||||
Aftermath
Following the elections, a petition was sent to the Governor requesting the annulment of the result in Ndola. An enquiry by the Acting Chief Justice found that seven ballots had been improperly rejected, meaning that the result would have been a tie.[5] A by-election was held on 4 December,[6] in which the original winner Godfrey Pelletier opted not to run.[7] Harold Williams was elected in his place.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "News Items in Brief", East Africa and Rhodesia, 14 September 1944, p59
- ^ a b c d Official Verbatim Report of the Debates of the Fifth Session (Resumed) of the Ninth Legislative Council, Legislative Council of Northern Rhodesia, p22
- ^ a b "N. Rhodesian General Election: Mr. Roy Welensky Returned Unopposed", East African and Rhodesia, 7 September 1944, p34
- ^ "Three New Members in N. Rhodesian Council: Four Members Re-elected by Narrow Majorities", East Africa and Rhodesia, 5 October 1944, pp107–108
- ^ "New Election for Ndola Seat: Voting Papers Were Improperly Rejected", East African and Rhodesia, 26 October 1944, p188
- ^ "Ndola Election", East Africa and Rhodesia, 23 November 1944, p273
- ^ "Ndola Election", East Africa and Rhodesia, 9 November 1944, p230
- ^ "Ndola's New M.L.C.", East Africa and Rhodesia, 11 January 1945, p489