1959 Aden Legislative Council election

In the previous elections in 1955 only four of the Council's 18 seats were elected.[2] This was raised to 12 elected seats on an enlarged Council of 23 members.[2] The colony was divided into five constituencies, each electing two or three members.[2] Restrictions on suffrage led to only 21,500 people being registered to vote from a population of 180,000.[2] Of the remaining 11 members of the Council, five were ex officio and six were nominees.[1] Five of the members (at least three of which had to be elected member) would be appointed "Members in charge" by the Governor, and would have responsibility for government departments.[1]

A total of 31 candidates contested the election,[1] with between five and seven in each constituency.[2]

Of the 12 elected members, nine were Arabs, two were Somalis and one was Indian.[2] All were described as "aging, pro-British and moneyed".[2]

Only 6,000 votes were cast, following calls for a boycott by the Aden Trade Union Congress, with voter turnout at just 27%.[3] Turnout varied from 43% in Crater to 15% in Sheikh Othman–Little Aden.[3]

Despite the pro-British nature of the elected members, the Council only narrowly approved joining the Federation of South Arabia.[2]