| Indochina Constitutional Convention Election | ||||||
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| All 300 seats in the Constitutional Convention 151 required for a majority | ||||||
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| First party | Second party | Third party | ||||
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| Leader | Ho Chi Minh | Ngo Dinh Diem | - | |||
| Party | Fatherland Front | Nationalist | Independents | |||
| Seats before | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Seats after | 195 | 75 | 30 | |||
| Seat change | ▲ 195 | ▲ 75 | ▲ 30 | |||
Constitutional Convention election was held in Indochina on 21 July 1955 by the United Nations Transitional Authority, following the Geneva Convention that ended the French-Indochinese War. The result was a victory for Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh (Worker's Party) which won 195 of the 300 seats. Voter turnout was a record 92.6%. It is the first nationwide election being held in Indochina (the first one held in 1946 by the Viet Minh after the August Revolution was disrupted by French return to the country).
Following the election, the Constitutional Convention assembled in Sihanoukville to determine the future of Indochina. It was decided at the Convention that the Union of Democratic Republics of Indochina (predecessor of the modern Federal Republic of Indochina) would be established with the three democratic republics of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam being member states. The Convention also drafted and ratified the first Union Constitution of Indochina on 24 November 1955, and the first Soviet of the Union was established as the national parliament of Indochina with the first session comprised of all 300 members of the elected Constitutional Convention.
Development[]
The defeat of the French Army at Điện Biên Phủ in 1954, followed by the Geneva Accords, led to nationwide occupation by the United Nations Transitional Authority. The agreements stated that nationwide elections were to be held in 1955 by the UN to unify the country under a common government.
During its occupation, the UN Authority ensured free passage between Laos, Cambodia, Tonkin, Annam and Cochinchina. It also supervised the evacuation of French-backed military personnel were obliged to evacuate to the south and Viet Minh forces to the north, pending a national election to determine the future of the country.
During the transition and free passage period, the last prime minister of French Indochina Ngô Đình Diệm staged a campaign to convince Vietnamese Catholics to move to Cochinchina, claiming "the Virgin Mary has gone south." Diệm wish to establish a pro-Western anti-communist Christian nation in Cochinchina and hope to win support from the United States and other Western countries in his campaign.
US political elites were divided on whether to support Diệm. While some feared Ho Chi Minh would be too close to the Soviet (Ho himself was a founding member of the French Communist Party during his youth), many were optimistic that he would at least remain neutral or even pro-American due to his cordial relationship with President Roosevelt, who sent OSS personnel to aid the Viet Minh's August Revolution against the Japanese. In the end, President Eisenhower decided to remain neutral, saying the "Indochinese can determine their own destiny." Due to the lack of American support, Diệm's campaign was largely unsuccessful, with only a few thousand people actually migrating southward.
By the end of 1954, it was clear that the Ho Chi Minh would win the election. To further its appeal to moderate and pan-Indochinese constituencies, the Viet Minh rebranded as the Worker's Party of Indochina (WPI) and established the Fatherland Front, which include satellite parties such as the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party would later split from the WPI Coalition in 1992 and became the largest opposition party.
Results[]
The Viet Minh and its Fatherland Front's satellite parties achieved a landslide victory with over 70% of the vote. The Nationalist achieved less than 20% of the vote and Ngo Dinh Diem was replaced by Nguyen Tuong Tam as Chairman of the party.
Aftermath[]
Following the election, the Constitutional Convention assembled in Sihanoukville to determine the future of Indochina. It was decided at the Convention that the Union of Democratic Republics of Indochina would be established with the three democratic republics of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam being member states. The Convention also drafted and ratified the first Union Constitution of Indochina on 24 November 1955, and the first Soviet of the Union was established as the national parliament of Indochina with the first session comprised of all 300 members of the elected Constitutional Convention.
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