French West Africa with the exception of the Senegalese Communes, the administrative structure of French rule at the lower levels remained constant, based upon the Cercle system. This was the smallest unit of French political administration in French colonial Africa that was headed by a European officer. They might range in size, but French Sudan (modern Mali) consisted of less than a dozen Cercles for most of its existence. Thus, a Cercle Commander might be the absolute authority over hundreds of thousands of Africans. A Cercle consisted of several cantons, each of which in turn consisted of several villages, and was almost universal
1945 French legislative election in French Sudan−Niger 1945 French legislative election in French Sudan−Niger Elections to the French National Assembly were held in the constituency of French Sudan−Niger on 21 October 1945 as part of the wider French elections. Two members were elected from two separate electoral colleges. A second round of voting was held for both colleges on 18 November as no candidate received over 50% of the vote in the first round. Maurice Kaouza and Fily Dabo Sissoko were elected. An attempt to form a unified African bloc for the elections failed due to the number of people seeking to be candidates. Fily Dabo Sissoko