1918 Dutch general election

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1918 Dutch general election
Flag of the Netherlands.svg
  1917 3 July 1918 1922  

All 100 seats in the House of Representatives
51 seats needed for a majority
PartyLeaderVote %Seats+/–
AB Willem Hubert Nolens 29.9730+5
SDAP Pieter Jelles Troelstra 22.0322+7
ARP Abraham Kuyper 13.3613+2
CHU Alexander de Savornin Lohman 6.557−2
LU Eduard Ellis van Raalte  [ nl ]6.196−15
VDB Henri Marchant 5.335−3
BVL Alibert Cornelis Visser van IJzendoorn  [ nl ]3.814−6
EB Willem Treub 3.133New
SDP David Wijnkoop 2.312+2
MP Abraham Staalman  [ nl ]0.941New
CDP Andries Staalman  [ nl ]0.791+1
PB Frederik Bos 0.671New
SP Harm Kolthek 0.671New
BCS Willy Kruyt 0.631New
CSP Adolf Robbert van de Laar  [ nl ]0.611New
NP Henri ter Hall  [ nl ]0.531New
VDW Willem Wijk  [ nl ]0.511New
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Cabinet beforeCabinet after
Cort van der Linden cabinet
Liberal
First Ruijs de Beerenbrouck cabinet
ABARPCHU

General elections were held in the Netherlands on 3 July 1918. [1] They were the first elections held after a series of reforms that introduced universal male suffrage and pure proportional representation, replacing the previous two-round system in single member constituencies. [2] This change was known as the Pacification of 1917, which also included the introduction of state financing of religious schools, and led to the start of consociational democracy. [3]

The change in the electoral system led to major changes in the political makeup of the House of Representatives. The confessional right-wing parties, the General League of Roman Catholic Electoral Associations, the Anti-Revolutionary Party and the Christian Historical Union, together won 50 seats.

The liberal parties lost the most seats. While in 1917, two of the liberal parties, the Liberal Union and the League of Free Liberals, had won 31 seats, they were now reduced to 10 seats. Together with three smaller liberal parties, liberals now held only 15 seats in the House of representatives.

The fragmentation of the House was caused by the low electoral threshold of just 0.5%, with the smallest party, the Alliance to Democratise the Forces, managing to win a seat with only 6,828 votes.

The elections were the first in which Dutch women could stand for election, despite still not being allowed to vote. Suze Groeneweg was elected as the first female member of the House of Representatives. [4]

Results

A man writing political slogans on a wooden fence in Amsterdam Verkiezingen. Een man verft de letters 'Stemt lyst 5' op een houten schutting. (De socialisten).(Amsterdam),1918. - SFA022823005.jpg
A man writing political slogans on a wooden fence in Amsterdam
1918 Dutch General Election.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
General League 402,90829.9730+5
Social Democratic Workers' Party 296,14522.0322+7
Anti-Revolutionary Party 179,52313.3613+2
Christian Historical Union 87,9836.557–2
Liberal Union 83,1736.196–15
Free-thinking Democratic League 71,5825.335–3
League of Free Liberals 51,1953.814–6
Economic League 42,0423.133New
Social Democratic Party 31,0432.312+2
Middle Class Party 12,6630.941New
Christian Democratic Party 10,6530.791New
Peasants' League 9,0680.671New
Socialist Party 8,9500.671New
League of Christian Socialists 8,4160.631+1
Christian Social Party 8,1520.611New
Neutral Party 7,1860.531New
Alliance to Democratise the Forces 6,8300.511New
General State Party  [ nl ]6,7130.5000
Police Party6,1890.460New
Reformed Political Party 5,1790.390New
General Freedom Party2,6910.200New
Van der Zwaag Group2,6490.200New
Alberda Group7350.050New
Kuiper Group5680.040New
Amsterdamese Police and Firefighting Party 4170.030New
National League of Protestant Voters3580.030New
People's Welfare Party3010.020New
Neutral and Colonial League2370.020New
People's Party2360.020New
Stoffel Group2350.020New
Braam Group1890.010New
Total1,344,209100.001000
Registered voters/turnout1,517,380
Source: CBS, [5] Nohlen & Stöver

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1395 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, pp1384-1385
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1385
  4. "Dit waren de eerste zeven vrouwen die het schopten tot Tweede Kamerlid". Atria. 25 July 2018.
  5. "Verkiezingsuitslag en zetelverdeling Tweede Kamer, 1918". CBS.