The 1955 South Vietnamese election was a referendum held to determine the future leadership of the nation that was to become Republic of Vietnam. It was contested by Ngo Dinh Diem and Bao Dai, the Emperor of Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem won the election with 98.2% of the vote, which was widely marred by electoral fraud. Diem was credited with over 133% of the number of registered voters in the capital Saigon.^[1][2] National motto: ??? Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809km² N/A population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ...   «ngoh dihn zih-ehm» (January 3, 1901 – November 2, 1963) was the first President of South Vietnam (1955–1963). ... Emperor Bao Dai Bảo Đại (保大帝、22 October 1913 – 30 July 1997) was the last Emperor of Vietnam, the 13th and last Emperor of the Nguyá»…n Dynasty. ... The following list contains, among other information, the era names for all emperors of the Nguyen dynasty. ... Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. ... Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành Chí Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam, located near the delta of the Mekong River. ...

Background

Following the defeat of the French Army at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, French colonisation of Vietnam ended. As a result of the Geneva Accords, Vietnam was to be temporarily split at the 17th parallel, and elections were to be held in 1956 to unify the country under a common government. After a period of three months during which free passage between both sides was allowed, the border was closed on October 11, 1955. It was estimated that 850,000 people migrated to the south, mostly Catholics. This came after a campaign by the Catholic Ngo Dinh Diem and his US and CIA adviser Edward Lansdale using the slogan "God has gone south" to attract Catholics to strengthen his power base. At the start of 1955, French Indochina was dissolved, leaving Diem in temporary control of the south.^[3] The French Army (French: Armée de Terre) is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces. ... Dien Bien Phu (Điện Biên Phủ) is a small town in northwestern Vietnam in the province of Điện Biên. ... The Geneva Conference (April 26 - July 21, 1954) was a conference between many countries that agreed to end hostilities and restore peace in French Indochina and Korea. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Edward Lansdale in 1963 Edward Geary Lansdale (February 6, 1908–February 23, 1987) was a US Air Force officer who served in the Office of Strategic Services and the Central Intelligence Agency. ... French Indochina (French: LIndochine française, Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp) was the part of the French colonial empire in Indochina in southeast Asia, consisting of a federation of protectorates (Tonkin and Annam, which now form Vietnam, as well as Cambodia and Laos) and one directly...

Referendum

A referendum was scheduled for October 23, 1955 to determine the future direction of the south. It was contested by Bao Dai, the Emperor who had spent the majority of his ceremonial reign during the colonial period in France, advocating the restoration of the monarchy. Diem ran on a republican platform. Lansdale had cautioned Diem against electoral fraud, believing that Diem would win a free election, stating "While I'm away I don't want to suddenly read that you have won by 99.99%. I would know that it's rigged then." American officials suggested that a fair election would have seen Diem poll around 60-70% of the vote.^[1] Emperor Bao Dai Bảo Đại (保大帝、22 October 1913 – 30 July 1997) was the last Emperor of Vietnam, the 13th and last Emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty. ...

The elections were held, with Diem's brother and confidant Ngo Dinh Nhu, the leader of the family's Can Lao Party, which supplied Diem's electoral base, organising and supervising the elections. Lansdale also advised Diem to print his ballots in red, while those of Bao Dai were printed in green. In Vietnam, red is associated with good luck and prosperity. Green, on the other hand, is often associated with a cuckold as well as bad luck.^[1][4] Ngô Ðình Nhu Ngô Ðình Nhu, born in Vietnam, was the younger brother and chief political advisor of South Vietnams first President, Ngô Ðình Diệm. ... A cuckold is a married man whose wife has sex with other men. ...

Campaigning for Bao Dai was prohibited, and Diem's advertising consisted of large pageant-style floats of Bao Dai, depicted with bags of money on his shoulders, a deck of cards in his hands and with naked women, which were paraded around Saigon. This was a reference to the Emperor's reputation of opulence, gambling and womanising.^[5]

During the election, Nhu's staff told voters to throw away the green ballots. Those who disobeyed were often chased down and beaten. Pepper sauce and water were sometimes forced into the nostrils of dissenters. When the final results were announced, Diem recorded 98.2% of the vote, including 605,025 votes in Saigon, where only 450 thousand voters were registered. Diem's tally also exceeded the registration numbers in other districts.^[1][5] Three days after the vote, Diem proclaimed the creation of the Republic of Vietnam, with himself as its President.^[4] There are thousands of varieties of hot sauce Hot sauce, chili sauce, or pepper sauce refer to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients. ... Impact of a drop of water Water is a chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life. ...

References