# Chadian Progressive Party

The Chadian Progressive Party (French: Parti Progressiste Tchadien, PPT), known as the National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution (French: Mouvement National pour la Révolution Culturelle et Sociale, MNRCS) for the last two years of its existence, was the first African political party in Chad. It was a regional branch of the African Democratic Rally (RDA).

## History

The party was founded in February 1947, by Gabriel Lisette, who had been elected to the French National Assembly in elections the previous November. At first it attracted support mainly from the country's non-Muslim intellectuals. Although the PPT was a relatively moderate party and Lisette was close to Félix Houphouët-Boigny, it was much more radical and nationalistic than its main rival, the Muslim-dominated Chadian Democratic Union (UDT). This was revealed by its motto: "Enough with cotton! Enough with taxes! Enough with chiefs!" (Plus de coton! Plus d’impôts! Plus de chefs!). It grew into an important opponent of the colonial administration, helping to organize syndical opposition in the Cotonfran factories. Meanwhile, the colonial administrators and chiefs were close to the UDT.
Originally much weaker than the UDT, Lisette lost his seat in the National Assembly in the 1951 elections, in which the two second college seats were both won by the UDT. The 1952 local elections led to the Bébalem massacre carried out by colonial authorities after protesting farmers disputed the victory of the UDT over the PPT.
The 1956 electoral reforms expanded the pool of eligible voters and saw power begin to pass to the Christian and Animist south where the PPT had most of its support. In the 1956 French National Assembly elections the PPT received the largest share of the vote in the second college, resulting in Lisette elected back to the National Assembly.
In the Territorial Assembly elections the following year the PPT formed the Entente alliance with the Grouping of Rural and Independent Chadians, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance, Radicals and Radical Socialists and the Independent Socialist Party of Chad. The Entente won 57 of the 65 seats in the Assembly, with the PPT taking 32. As a result, Lisette became Head of Government. The PPT went on to win the 1959 elections, taking 57 of the 84 seats.
In 1962 a new constitution made Chad a one-party state, with the PPT as the sole legal party. As a result, the party won every seat in the National Assembly in the 1962, 1963 and 1969 parliamentary elections, whilst PPT leader François Tombalbaye was re-elected President unopposed in 1969. Whilst women formed an early part of the political party, by 1968 Kalthouma Nguembang was the only woman in the National Assembly.
In 1973 the party was renamed the "National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution" to consolidate support for Tombalbaye–who had changed his name to N'Garta–in the midst of a civil war. However, two years later Tombalbaye was overthrown in a coup and the party was banned in April 1975.

## Electoral history
### Presidential elections

| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
| 1969 | François Tombalbay | 1,556,113 | 100% | Elected Y |

### National Assembly elections

| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
| 1957 | François Tombalbaye | 443,762 as part of Entente | 83.4% | 32 / 65 | 32 | 1st | Entente coalition government |
| 1959 | François Tombalbaye | 390,377 | 68.7% | 57 / 84 | 25 | 1st | Supermajority government |
| 1962 | François Tombalbaye | 1,124,214 | 100% | 85 / 85 | 28 | 1st | Sole legal party |
| 1963 | François Tombalbaye | 1,352,749 | 99.9% | 75 / 75 | 10 | 1st | Sole legal party |
| 1969 | François Tombalbaye | 1,580,593 | 100% | 101 / 101 | 26 | 1st | Sole legal party |

#### Notes

Within the Entente, the Chadian Progressive Party won 32 seats, the Grouping of Rural and Independent Chadians won nine, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance won 7, Radicals and Radical Socialists won 7, the Independent Socialist Party of Chad won 1 in total the alliance won 57 seats