Chadian Democratic Union
Encyclopedia
The Chadian Democratic Union (in French
Union Démocratique Tchadienne or UDT) is the second African political party ever created in Chad
. It's ancestor can be traced in the Mutuelle Amicale Tchadienne (MAT), created in 1945 under the impulse of Joseph Brahim Seid by Mahamat Yakouma, Mustapha Batran, Abdoulaye Touré, Souleymane Naye, Adoum Tchéré and Ahmed Kotoko. This became the UDT, founded in November 1947 mainly by Africa
n traditional leaders, as Gontchomé Sahoulba
; it represented French
commercial interests and a bloc of traditional leaders composed primarily of Muslim
and Ouaddaï
an nobility
. It was linked with a conservative political party representing the Europeans in Chad, the Gaullist
Rally of the French People
, and also sided with the other political parties founded in Chad by European expatriates. Members of this party at first won easily local elections, but from the 1953 is started being superseded by an offshoot, the Chadian Social Action
, which fished mainly in the same electoral pool. As a result the UDT started dissolving itself, also under attack from the emergence of the Chadian Progressive Party
, more radical and nationalistic. In the 1957 elections
, where the PPT reported a landslide gaining 32 seats out of 65, the UDT had only a marginal role as an ally of the PPT. And shortly after the party disappeared in the "parliamentary guerrilla" that inflamed the Territorial Assembly before Independence from France in 1960.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Union Démocratique Tchadienne or UDT) is the second African political party ever created in Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
. It's ancestor can be traced in the Mutuelle Amicale Tchadienne (MAT), created in 1945 under the impulse of Joseph Brahim Seid by Mahamat Yakouma, Mustapha Batran, Abdoulaye Touré, Souleymane Naye, Adoum Tchéré and Ahmed Kotoko. This became the UDT, founded in November 1947 mainly by Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n traditional leaders, as Gontchomé Sahoulba
Gontchomé Sahoulba
Gontchomé Sahoulba was a Chadian politician who played a prominent role during the decolonization in Chad. Born in 1909, he was a Moundang chief of Mayo-Kebbi, in what was then the French colony of Chad.- Political activity in UDT :...
; it represented French
French colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
commercial interests and a bloc of traditional leaders composed primarily of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and Ouaddaï
Ouaddai Kingdom
The Ouaddai Empire was originally a non-Muslim kingdom, located to the east of Lake Chad in present-day Chad...
an nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. It was linked with a conservative political party representing the Europeans in Chad, the Gaullist
Gaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
Rally of the French People
Rally of the French People
The Rally of the French People was a French political party, led by Charles de Gaulle.-Foundation:...
, and also sided with the other political parties founded in Chad by European expatriates. Members of this party at first won easily local elections, but from the 1953 is started being superseded by an offshoot, the Chadian Social Action
Chadian Social Action
The Chadian Social Action was an African political party founded in 1953 in Colonial Chad. It was born as an offshoot of the Chadian Democratic Union , and like the mother party it represented French commercial interest and Muslim and African traditional chiefs...
, which fished mainly in the same electoral pool. As a result the UDT started dissolving itself, also under attack from the emergence of the Chadian Progressive Party
Chadian Progressive Party
The Chadian Progressive Party was the first African political party created in Chad, active from 1947 to 1973...
, more radical and nationalistic. In the 1957 elections
Chadian parliamentary election, 1957
Territorial Assembly elections were held in Chad on 31 March 1957. The result was a victory for the Chadian Progressive Party, which won 32 of the 65 seats, whilst its allies, the Independent Socialist Party and the Chadian Democratic Union won 15.-Results:...
, where the PPT reported a landslide gaining 32 seats out of 65, the UDT had only a marginal role as an ally of the PPT. And shortly after the party disappeared in the "parliamentary guerrilla" that inflamed the Territorial Assembly before Independence from France in 1960.