Referendum or popular consultation
British Togoland status plebiscite, 1956
A UN-supervised vote integrated British Togoland into what became Ghana, a result some later separatists dispute.
What happened
In the 1956 plebiscite, 58% of voters chose integration with the Gold Coast, becoming part of independent Ghana in 1957; some contemporary separatists dispute the vote's fairness.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Following Germany's defeat in the First World War, German Togoland was divided under the 1919 post-war settlement into British Togoland (Western Togoland) and French Togoland; in a 1956 UN-supervised plebiscite, 58% of voters in British Togoland chose integration with the neighbouring Gold Coast, which became independent Ghana in 1957. Some contemporary Western Togoland separatists have characterized this plebiscite as flawed, alleging voter intimidation, inadequate information campaigns and the exclusion of an independence option; this bundle presents these as attributed allegations, not adjudicated by this bundle.
- Western Togoland (Wikipedia) link, 1919 division and 1956 plebiscite section. Source record
- Western Togoland: a Secessionist Conflict in the Heart of Ghana (Wilson Center) link, Plebiscite criticism section. Source record