Senegalese Democratic Bloc (in French

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...

: Bloc Démocratique Sénégalais) was a political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

, founded on October 27, 1948 by Léopold Sédar Senghor

Léopold Sédar Senghor

Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal . Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese...

, following a split from the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO). One month after the split from SFIO Senghor associates himself with the Indépendants d'Outre-Mer parliamentary fraction.

In the 1951 legislative elections

French legislative election, 1951

Legislative elections were held in France on 17 June 1951 to elect the second National Assembly of the Fourth Republic.After the Second World War, the three parties which took a major part in the French Resistance to the German occupation dominated the political scene and government: the French...

 BDS got 213 182 votes (67% of the votes cast in Senegal). Two BDS members are elected MPs, Senghor and Abbas Gueye (a local CGT

Confédération générale du travail

The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.It is the largest in terms of votes , and second largest in terms of membership numbers.Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995-96 The General...

 leader). The electoral campaign was marred by violence between BDS and SFIO.

BDS relied heavily on religious and tribal authorities to spread their influence. The combination of the capability to gather many different ethnic group and Senghor's personal charisma ensured BDS predominance in Senegalese pre-Independence politics.

In 1956 BDS won the municipal elections in Kaolack

Kaolack

Kaolack is a town of 172,305 people on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an important regional market town and is Senegal's main peanut trading and processing center...

, Thiès

Thiès

Thiès is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies 60 km east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis...

, Louga

Louga

Louga is a town in northwestern Senegal. Louga is a cattle market centre and has road and rail links with the port city of Saint-Louis to the northwest and Dakar to the southwest...

, Diourbel

Diourbel

Diourbel is a town in Senegal lying east of Thiès. It is known for its mosque and local groundnut industry. It is the capital of the Diourbel Region. Estimated population 2007: 100,445- Transport :...

 and Ziguinchor

Ziguinchor

Ziguinchor is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of over 230,000...

. BDS lost in Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

.

On August 18, 1956 BDS held its last plenary meeting. That meeting paved the way for the merger of BDS with the Senegalese Democratic Union

Senegalese Democratic Union

Senegalese Democratic Union was a political party in Senegal, founded in 1946 by the Communist Study Groups...

 (UDS), Casamance Autonomist Movement (MAC) and a fraction of the Senegalese Popular Movement

Senegalese Popular Movement

Senegalese Popular Movement was a political party in Senegal. MPS was formed as the Senegalese section of the African Democratic Rally , following the expulsion of the Senegalese Democratic Union...

 (MPS) led by Abdolaye Thiaw. The result of the merger was the creation of the Senegalese Popular Bloc

Senegalese Popular Bloc

The Senegalese Popular Bloc held its constitutive congress in Dakar February 23-25 1957. BPS was the result of the merger of the Senegalese Democratic Bloc of Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegalese Democratic Union , Casamancian Autonomous Movement and a fraction of the Senegalese Popular Movement ...

(BPS).

Sources

• Zuccarelli, François. La vie politique sénégalaise (1940-1988). Paris: CHEAM, 1988.