Chadian Social Action
Encyclopedia
The Chadian Social Action (Action Sociale Tchadienne or AST) was an African political party founded in 1953 in Colonial Chad. It was born as an offshoot of the Chadian Democratic Union
(UDT), and like the mother party it represented French commercial interest and Muslim and African traditional chiefs. It could count many prominent politicians among its ranks, like Gontchomé Sahoulba
, Ahmed Koulamallah
, Bechi Sow and Ahmed Kotoko. The AST early superseded the UDT in importance, gaining support principally in Logone, Mayo-Kébbi
, Ouaddaï
, Batha
and Chari-Baguirmi
. In the meanwhile a new party started gaining support in southern Chad
, Gabriel Lisette
's Chadian Progressive Party
(PPT), also helped by the extension of the suffrage in 1956. The AST, instead, started being divided by serious dissensions, that brought Koulamallah and Sahoulba to leave the party, the latter forming with others the rival Groupement des Indépendants et Ruraux Tchadiens (GIRT). The first true national elections, held on March 31, 1957, were an astounding route for the AST: not only was it defeated by the PPT, which took with its allies 47 seats out of 65, but was defeated even by the GIRT, which took 9 seats against AST's 8. In 1959, with Sahoulba and Koulamallah's short-lived governments, the AST briefly returned to power; but François Tombalbaye's ascent definitively confined the AST and the northern élites they represented to the opposition. Even in this role, once Chad became an independent state in 1960, they had reducing space as Tombalbaye, the new president, became more and more authoritarian. The AST's life terminated on February 1962, when the president banned all opposition parties and declared the PPT sole legal party.
Chadian Democratic Union
The Chadian Democratic Union is the second African political party ever created in Chad. It's ancestor can be traced in the Mutuelle Amicale Tchadienne , created in 1945 under the impulse of Joseph Brahim Seid by Mahamat Yakouma, Mustapha Batran, Abdoulaye Touré, Souleymane Naye, Adoum Tchéré and...
(UDT), and like the mother party it represented French commercial interest and Muslim and African traditional chiefs. It could count many prominent politicians among its ranks, like 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 :...
, Ahmed Koulamallah
Ahmed Koulamallah
Ahmed Koulamallah was a prominent politician in Colonial Chad. He was the estranged son of the sultan of Baguirmi and the charismatic leader of the Tijaniyyah Islamic brotherhood in Chad....
, Bechi Sow and Ahmed Kotoko. The AST early superseded the UDT in importance, gaining support principally in Logone, Mayo-Kébbi
Mayo-Kébbi Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Mayo-Kébbi was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the southwest of the country, Mayo-Kébbi covered an area of 30,105 square kilometers and had a population of 825,158 in 1993....
, Ouaddaï
Ouaddaï Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Ouaddaï was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the east of the country, Ouaddaï covered an area of 76,240 square kilometers and had a population of 543,900 in 1993. Its...
, Batha
Batha Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Batha was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the center of the country, Batha covered an area of 88,800 square kilometers and had a population of 288,458 in 1993. Its capital...
and Chari-Baguirmi
Chari-Baguirmi Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Chari-Baguirmi was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the west of the country, Chari-Baguirmi covered an area of 82,910 square kilometers and had a population of 720,941 in...
. In the meanwhile a new party started gaining support in southern 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...
, Gabriel Lisette
Gabriel Lisette
Gabriel Francisco Lisette was a Chadian politician that played a key-role in the decolonization of Chad.Of African descent, he was born at Portobelo in Panama on April 2, 1919. He became a French colonial administrator, and in this role was posted to Chad in 1946...
's Chadian Progressive Party
Chadian Progressive Party
The Chadian Progressive Party was the first African political party created in Chad, active from 1947 to 1973...
(PPT), also helped by the extension of the suffrage in 1956. The AST, instead, started being divided by serious dissensions, that brought Koulamallah and Sahoulba to leave the party, the latter forming with others the rival Groupement des Indépendants et Ruraux Tchadiens (GIRT). The first true national elections, held on March 31, 1957, were an astounding route for the AST: not only was it defeated by the PPT, which took with its allies 47 seats out of 65, but was defeated even by the GIRT, which took 9 seats against AST's 8. In 1959, with Sahoulba and Koulamallah's short-lived governments, the AST briefly returned to power; but François Tombalbaye's ascent definitively confined the AST and the northern élites they represented to the opposition. Even in this role, once Chad became an independent state in 1960, they had reducing space as Tombalbaye, the new president, became more and more authoritarian. The AST's life terminated on February 1962, when the president banned all opposition parties and declared the PPT sole legal party.