The 1956 election defeated Italy’s expectation that rural Somalis favored pro-Italian parties

Evidence

The electoral results shattered whatever illusions the Italians had about rural Somalis voting for the pro-Italian parties. Anzillotti, the Italian administrator, conceded defeat and tried to put the best interpretation on the failure of its allies: The Council’s attention focused on the very important developments which had recently taken place. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 329

Categorization

• CANDY: The colonial power spent fortunes courting rural voters who then chose the nationalist party overwhelmingly — a neat reversal of a classic assumption.