1919 Belgian general election

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1919 Belgian general election
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
  1914 16 November 1919 1921  

All 186 seats in the Chamber of Representatives
All 93 seats in the Senate
PartyLeader%Seats
Chamber of Representatives
Labour Joseph Van Roosbroeck36.6270
Catholic Léon Delacroix 35.1970
Liberal François Prosper Hanrez 17.6534
Frontpartij 3.455
Catholic dissidents2.053
Middle Class 1.131
Combatants1.082
National Renaissance1.051
Senate
Catholic Léon Delacroix 43.3043
Liberal François Prosper Hanrez 30.9830
Labour Joseph Van Roosbroeck24.5320
Government beforeGovernment after election
Delacroix I
National Unity (Catholic-Lab-Lib)
Delacroix II
National Unity (Catholic-Lab-Lib)

General elections were held in Belgium on 16 November 1919. [1] Although the Belgian Labour Party received the most votes in the Chamber of Representatives elections, the Catholic Party remained the largest party in both the Chamber and the Senate. [2] Voter turnout was 88.5% in the Chamber elections. [3]

Contents

They were the first elections after the First World War, and the first with universal single-vote suffrage (for men), a change that was sought by and benefited the Belgian Labour Party. The voting age was also lowered from 25 to 21, and the system of proportional representation was modified to use apparentment (combining votes of different arrondissements within a province).

Results

Chamber of Representatives

Belgian Chamber 1919.svg
PartyVotes%Seats
Belgian Labour Party 645,12436.6270
Catholic Party 619,91135.1970
Liberal Party 310,87617.6534
Frontpartij 60,8143.455
Catholic dissidents36,0632.053
Middle Class Party 19,9391.131
Combatants19,0751.082
National Renaissance18,5461.051
Christene Volkspartij 5,8250.330
Socialist dissidents1,1810.070
Other parties24,4461.390
Total1,761,800100.00186
Valid votes1,761,80294.68
Invalid/blank votes99,0885.32
Total votes1,860,890100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,102,71088.50
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Belgian Elections [lower-alpha 1]

Senate

Belgium Senate 1919.svg
PartyVotes%Seats
Catholic Party 685,04143.3043
Liberal Party 490,04630.9830
Belgian Labour Party 388,01124.5320
Middle Class Party 10,6010.670
National Union5,2450.330
National Renaissance3,0680.190
Total1,582,012100.0093
Registered voters/turnout2,102,710
Source: Belgian Elections

Constituencies

The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows: [4] [5]

ProvinceArrondissement(s)ChamberSenate
Antwerp Antwerp 157
Mechelen 55
Turnhout 4
Elected by the provincial council3
Limburg Hasselt 34
Tongeren-Maaseik 4
Elected by the provincial council2
East Flanders Aalst 54
Oudenaarde 3
Gent-Eeklo 126
Dendermonde 44
Sint-Niklaas 4
Elected by the provincial council4
West Flanders Bruges 42
Roeselare-Tielt 53
Kortrijk 54
Ypres 3
Veurne-Diksmuide-Ostend 52
Elected by the provincial council3
Brabant Leuven 73
Brussels 2613
Nivelles 42
Elected by the provincial council4
Hainaut Tournai-Ath 63
Charleroi 117
Thuin 3
Mons 75
Soignies 4
Elected by the provincial council4
Liège Huy-Waremme 42
Liège 137
Verviers 52
Elected by the provincial council3
Luxembourg Arlon-Marche-Bastogne 33
Neufchâteau-Virton 3
Elected by the provincial council2
Namur Namur 55
Dinant-Philippeville 4
Elected by the provincial council2
Total18693 + 27

Notes

  1. The number of valid votes is two higher than the number of votes cast for parties

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p289 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, pp308-310
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p290
  4. List of members of the Chamber of Representatives (1919-1920)
  5. List of members of the Senate (1919-1920)