The socialist Yaciné Diallo, who had won one of the three Guinean seats in the 1951 French National Assembly election, died in April 1954, after which the by-election was called.

The election was won by Diawadou Barry, but it also marked the ascent of Sékou Touré's Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG) in Guinean politics.

[5][3] Immediately after the official results had been declared, the PDG cried foul and accused the French administration of having committed fraud to ensure the victory of Barry Diawadou.

In the months following the vote, the PDG pinned its hopes to the possibility that the French National Assembly might refuse to validate the results.

The party campaigned vigorously to show its force, and mass demonstrations were held throughout Guinea to condemn the electoral fraud.

[2][7] Following the election, the committee that had supported Barry Diawadou's candidacy formed the African Bloc of Guinea [fr] (BAG) in late 1954.

Many of the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (the parliamentary ally of RDA) assembly members were absent at the time of the vote.