1935 Gold Coast general election
General elections were held in Gold Coast in 1935.
Electoral system
The Legislative Council had 30 members, of which 16 were 'official' members and 14 'unofficial' members. Of the 14 unofficial members, three were Europeans appointed by the Governor to represent banking, mercantile and shipping interests, and two were Europeans elected by the Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Mines. The remaining nine unofficial members were Africans, six of which were elected by the Provincial Councils and three directly elected members representing the municipalities of Accra, Cape Coast and Sekondi. The elections were held under a severely limited franchise, with only 4,058 people registered to vote in Accra from a population of around 60,000.Campaign
In Accra the contest was a re-run of the [1931 Gold Coast (British Colony)|Gold Coast legislative election|1931 elections], with incumbent MLC Frederick Nanka-Bruce again challenged by Kojo Thompson. The after-effects of the Great Depression had increased opposition to colonial rule, with Nanka-Bruce's ineffective performance in the Legislative Council benefiting Thompson. The media campaign quickly descended into abuse; Nanka-Bruce was supported only by the Gold Coast Independent and the Times of West Africa, whilst Thompson received the backing of the African Morning Post, the Gold Coast Spectator, the Provincial Pioneer and Vox Populi. The African Morning Post accused Nanka-Bruce of being a "sycophantic Uncle Tom, an ultra-moderate stooge, a self-seeker, a traitor and a mummified yes-man". Nanka-Bruce used his Gold Coast Independent to label Thompson as an immoral opportunist in twelve successive issues.Nanka-Bruce was supported by the Accra Ratepayers Association, the Asere Kowulu Party and the Ga Mashi Party. Thompson was supported by the Mambii Party, the Akwapem Improvement Association, the Ashanti Kotoko Society and the West African Youth League. On the day before the elections, the Gã Mantse called on his subjects to vote for Thompson.