1894 Belgian general election

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1894 Belgian general election
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
  1892 14 October 1894 (1894-10-14) 1896  

All 152 seats in the Chamber of Representatives
77 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Jules de burlet.jpg No image.png
Leader Jules de Burlet Grégoire Serwy
Party Catholic Labour
Leader sinceCandidate for PM1893
Seats before92 seats0 seats
Seats won10227
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 10Increase2.svg 27
Popular vote926,987301,940
Percentage56.38%18.36%

 Third partyFourth party
  No image.png No image.png
LeaderN/A
Party Liberal LSK
Leader sinceN/A
Seats before60 seatsNew
Seats won174
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 43New
Popular vote515,80832,914
Percentage31.37%2.00%

Government before election

de Burlet
Catholic

Government after election

de Burlet
Catholic

Full general elections were held in Belgium on 14 October 1894, [1] with run-off elections held on 21 October 1894.

Contents

The elections followed several major reforms: they were the first held under universal male suffrage for those over the age of 25. [2] This followed the abolition of tax qualifications, and increased the number of voters tenfold. [2] Voting was also made compulsory. Provincial senators were introduced in addition to the existing directly elected ones.

The electoral reforms were implemented in 1893 under the Catholic government led by Auguste Beernaert, who had been in power for nearly ten years, but who resigned because his proposal for proportional representation was rejected. A government led by Jules de Burlet took over in March 1894.

The result was a victory for the Catholic Party, which won all seats in every Flemish arrondissement, in Brussels and in seven rural Walloon arrondissements, giving a total of 104 of the 152 seats in the Chamber of Representatives. [3] The Belgian Labour Party gained parliamentary representation for the first time, winning all seats of Mons, Soignies, Charleroi, Verviers, 6 seats in Liège and one in Namur. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party, despite receiving more votes than the socialists, won only 20 seats and thus lost two-thirds of its seats. [4] This was caused by the concentration of socialists in industrial Walloon areas, compared to the dispersed presence of liberal voters throughout the country. This highlighted the need for a proportional system, which would eventually be introduced in 1899.

Results

Chamber of Representatives

Belgian Chamber 1894.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Catholic Party 926,98750.05102+10
Liberal Party 515,80827.8517–43
Belgian Labour Party 301,94016.3027+27
LiberalSocialist kartels32,9141.784New
Christene Volkspartij 26,2241.421+1
Other parties48,3542.611+1
Total1,852,227100.001520
Valid votes1,644,20496.00
Invalid/blank votes68,4634.00
Total votes1,712,667100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,085,60582.12
Source: Belgian Elections

Senate

76 senators (half the number of representatives) were directly elected and 26 senators were chosen by the provincial councils, giving a total of 102 senators.

PartyVotes%
Catholic Party 597,18452.48
Liberal Party 495,28843.53
Liberal PartySocialist cartels28,8122.53
Belgian Labour Party 16,5351.45
Total1,137,819100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,148,433
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Constituencies

The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows for the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. [5] There were no changes in districts and seat distribution compared to the previous election, except for the introduction of provincial senators.

ProvinceArrondissementChamberWon bySenateWon by
Antwerp Antwerp 11Catholics5Catholics
Mechelen 4Catholics2Catholics
Turnhout 3Catholics2Catholics
Elected by the provincial council3Catholics
Limburg Hasselt 3Catholics1Catholics
Maaseik 1Catholics1Catholics
Tongeren 2Catholics1Catholics
Elected by the provincial council2Catholics
East Flanders Aalst 4Catholics2Catholics
Oudenaarde 3Catholics1Catholics
Gent 9Catholics4Catholics
Eeklo 1Catholics1Catholics
Dendermonde 3Catholics2Catholics
Sint-Niklaas 4Catholics2Catholics
Elected by the provincial council3Catholics
West Flanders Bruges 3Catholics2Catholics
Roeselare 2Catholics1Catholics
Tielt 2Catholics1Catholics
Kortrijk 4Catholics2Catholics
Ypres 3Catholics1Catholics
Veurne 1Catholics1Catholics
Diksmuide 1Catholics
Ostend 2Catholics1Catholics
Elected by the provincial council3Catholics
Brabant Leuven 6Catholics3Catholics
Brussels 18Catholics9Catholics
Nivelles 4Liberals (3), Catholics (1)2Liberals
Elected by the provincial council4Catholics
Hainaut Tournai 4Catholics2Catholics
Ath 2Catholics1Catholics
Charleroi 8Socialists4Liberals
Thuin 3Liberals1Liberals
Mons 6Socialists3Liberals
Soignies 3Socialists2Liberals
Elected by the provincial council4Liberals (2), Socialists (2)
Liège Huy 2Liberals1Liberals
Waremme 2Catholics1Liberals
Liège 11Socialists (6), Liberals (5)5Liberals
Verviers 4Socialists2Liberals (1), Catholics (1)
Elected by the provincial council3Liberals
Luxembourg Arlon 1Liberals1Liberals
Virton 1Liberals
Marche 1Catholics1Catholics
Bastogne 1Catholics
Neufchâteau 1Catholics1Catholics
Elected by the provincial council2Catholics
Namur Namur 4Liberals (3), Socialists (1)2Liberals
Dinant 2Catholics1Catholics
Philippeville 2Liberals1Liberals
Elected by the provincial council2Catholics
15276+26

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References

  1. Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (31 May 2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft. p. 289. ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7.
  2. 1 2 Nohlen & Stöver, p272
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p307
  4. Nohlen & Stöver, p273
  5. List of members of the Chamber of Representatives (1894-1895)