1958 Northern Ireland general election

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1958 Northern Ireland general election
Ulster Banner.svg
  1953 20 March 1958 1962  

All 52 seats to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
27 seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Sir Basil Brooke, 10 February 1941.png
Leader Basil Brooke Joe Stewart
Party Ulster Unionist Nationalist
Leader since1 May 19431958
Leader's seat Lisnaskea East Tyrone
Last election38 seats, 48.6%7 seats, 10.8%
Seats won377
Seat changeDecrease2.svg1Steady2.svg
Popular vote106,17736,013
Percentage44.0%14.9%
SwingDecrease2.svg4.6%Increase2.svg4.1%

 Third partyFourth party
 
Leader Tom Boyd None
Party NI Labour Ind. Labour Group
Leader since1958n/a
Leader's seat Belfast Pottinger None
Last election0 seats, 12.1%Did not stand
Seats won41
Seat changeIncrease2.svg4Increase2.svg1
Popular vote38,0934,683
Percentage15.8%2.0%
SwingIncrease2.svg3.0%New party

Northern Ireland general election 1958.png
Election results by constituency

Prime Minister before election

Basil Brooke
Ulster Unionist

Prime Minister after election

Basil Brooke
Ulster Unionist

The 1958 Northern Ireland general election was called on 27 February by 1st Viscount Brookeborough [1] to be held on 20 March 1958.

Contents

Like all previous elections to the Parliament of Northern Ireland, it produced a large majority for the Ulster Unionist Party. The Northern Ireland Labour Party returned to the Commons after being wiped out in the 1949 election.

Campaign

Announcing the election, Viscount Brookeborough remarked that the election would be on the Border issue once more, noting that this was the ninth election on the same issue. [2] Unemployment was also an issue in the election with 50,000 people out of work in the province in that year. [2]

Results

37744
UUPNationalistLabOth
1958 Northern Ireland general election
Northern Irish general election 1958.svg
PartyCandidatesVotes
StoodElectedGainedUnseatedNet % of total %No.Net %
  Ulster Unionist 463734-171.244.0106,177-4.6
  NI Labour 8440+47.715.838,093+3.0
  Nationalist 8700013.514.936,013+4.1
  Ind. Unionist 500 1 06.816,537N/A
  Independent Labour 200 1 -13.17,544+0.6
 Ind. Republican Labour 1 1 0001.93.17,510+0.8
  Irish Labour 300 1 -13.07,321-2.1
  Independent Nationalist 2 1 1 0+11.92.15,168N/A
  Ulster Protestant Action 1 00002.04,704N/A
  Ind. Labour Group 1 1 1 0+11.92.04,683N/A
  Independent 2 1 0001.91.84,231+1.1
 Independent Irish Labour 1 00001.12,761-2.5
  Ulster Liberal 1 00000.3759N/A

Electorate: 891,064 (359,816 in contested seats); Turnout: 67.1% (241,501).

Votes summary

Popular vote
Ulster Unionist
43.97%
Labour
15.77%
Nationalist Party
14.91%
Independent Unionist
6.85%
Independent Labour
5.06%
Republican Labour
3.11%
Irish Labour
3.03%
Ind. Nationalist
2.14%
Ind. Protestant Unionist
1.95%
Independent Irish Labour
1.14%
Ulster Liberal
0.31%
Independent
1.75%

Seats summary

Parliamentary seats
Ulster Unionist
71.15%
Nationalist Party
13.46%
Labour
7.69%
Independent Labour
1.92%
Republican Labour
1.92%
Independent Nationalist
1.92%
Independent
1.92%

See also

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References

  1. "Six Counties Election on March 20". Evening Echo. 27 February 1958. p. 1.
  2. 1 2 "Border To Be Issue Again". Irish Independent. 28 February 1958. p. 9.