Belgian general election, 1949

Belgian general election, 1949
All 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives ; 106 seats in the Senate ; 107 (Chamber) seats needed for a majority
Prime Minister before election; Paul-Henri Spaak ; Socialist	Prime Minister ; Gaston Eyskens ; Christian Social

Last updated March 13, 2019

General elections were held in Belgium on 26 June 1949.^[1] Several reforms took effect prior to the elections; they were the first after the introduction of universal women's suffrage; the number of seats in the Chamber of Representatives was increased from 202 to 212, and from now on, elections for the nine provincial councils were held simultaneously with parliamentary elections. The number of Chamber seats and the simultaneous provincial and parliamentary elections would remain unchanged until state reforms in 1993.

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,688 square kilometres (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.4 million. The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège.

Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections; a person who advocates the extension of suffrage, particularly to women, is called a suffragist. Limited voting rights were gained by women in Tuscany, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and some Australian colonies and western U.S. states in the late 19th century. National and international organizations formed to coordinate efforts to gain voting rights, especially the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, and also worked for equal civil rights for women.

The country of Belgium is divided into three regions. Two of these regions, the Flemish Region or Flanders, and Walloon Region, or Wallonia, are each subdivided into five provinces. The third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, is not divided into provinces, as it was originally only a small part of a province itself.

Results

Chamber of Deputies

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Christian Social Party	2,190,895	43.55	105	+13
Belgian Socialist Party	1,496,539	29.76	66	-3
Liberal Party	767,180	15.25	29	+12
Communist Party of Belgium	376,765	7.49	12	–11
Flemish Concentration	103,896	2.07	0	New
Middle Class	45,721	0.91	0	New
Independent Party	20,450	0.41	0	New
Traders Union	6,709	0.13	0	New
National Belgian Rally	6,077	0.12	0	New
Walloon Unity	5,852	0.12	0	New
Luxembourg Defence	2,024	0.04	0	New
Cosmocraten	685	0.01	0	New
Light	680	0.01	0	New
Independent General Syndicate	610	0.01	0	New
Belgian Patriotic Party	55	0.00	0	New
Independents	6,745	0.13	0	0
Invalid/blank votes	289,333	–	–	–
Total	5,320,216	100	212	+10
Registered voters/turnout	5,635,452	94.41	–	–
Source: Belgian Elections

Senate

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Christian Social Party	2,208,553	46.95	54	+3
Belgian Socialist Party	1,410,135	29.98	33	–1
Liberal Party	762,530	16.21	14	+10
Communist Party of Belgium	377,209	8.02	5	–6
Flemish Concentration	66,055	1.40	0	New
Middle Class	37,302	0.79	0	New
Independent Party	20,357	0.43	0	New
A	13,379	0.28	0	New
Traders Union	5,507	0.12	0	New
Walloon Unity	5,010	0.11	0	New
B	555	0.01	0	New
Independents	5,241	0.12	0	0
Invalid/blank votes	321,017	–	–	–
Total	5,024,677	100	106	+5
Registered voters/turnout	5,635,452	89.16	–	–
Source: Belgian Elections

Constituencies

The distribution of seats among the electoral districts of the Chamber of Representatives was as follows.^[4] Several arrondissements got one or more additional seats.

Province	Arrondissement(s)	Seats	Change
Antwerp	Antwerp	20	+2
	Mechelen	6	–
	Turnhout	6	+1
Limburg	Hasselt	5	+1
Limburg	Tongeren-Maaseik	6	+1
East Flanders	Aalst	6	–
	Oudenaarde	3	–
	Gent-Eeklo	13	+1
	Dendermonde	4	–
	Sint-Niklaas	4	–
West Flanders	Bruges	5	+1
	Roeselare-Tielt	5	+1
	Kortrijk	6	–
	Ypres	3	–
	Veurne-Diksmuide-Ostend	5	–
Brabant	Leuven	7	–
	Brussels	32	+2
	Nivelles	5	–
Hainaut	Tournai-Ath	6	–
	Charleroi	11	–
	Thuin	4	–
	Mons	7	–
	Soignies	3	–
Liège	Huy-Waremme	4	–
	Liège	14	–
	Verviers	5	–
Luxembourg	Arlon-Marche-Bastogne	3	–
Luxembourg	Neufchâteau-Virton	3	–
Namur	Namur	5	–
Namur	Dinant-Philippeville	4	–
Total		212	+10

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References

↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p289 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
↑ Nohlen & Stöver, pp309-311
↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p290
↑ List of members of the Chamber of Representatives (1949-1950)

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[1] Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p289 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7

[2] Nohlen & Stöver, pp309-311

[3] Nohlen & Stöver, p290

[4] List of members of the Chamber of Representatives (1949-1950)

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