Belgian general election, 1950

Belgian general election, 1950
212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives
Prime Minister before election; Gaston Eyskens ; Christian Social	Elected Prime Minister ; Jean Duvieusart ; Christian Social

Last updated March 13, 2019

General elections were held in Belgium on 4 June 1950.^[1] The result was a victory for the Christian Social Party, which won 108 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 54 of the 106 seats in the Senate.^[2] Voter turnout was 92.6%.^[3] This election was the last one in Belgian history were a single party achieved an absolute majority. Elections for the nine provincial councils were also held.

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.

The Christian Social Party (PSC-CVP) was a Christian democratic political party in Belgium, which existed from 1945 until 1968 when it split along linguistic lines.

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.

The elections took place a few months after the divisive referendum on restoring King Leopold III to the throne (the Royal Question). Following the election, a single-party Catholic government was formed with Jean Duvieusart as Prime Minister, who oversaw the return of King Leopold III, but who was quickly succeeded by Joseph Pholien as Prime Minister, following strikes and protests due to Leopold's return, which ultimately led to his abdication.

The Royal Question was a major political crisis in Belgium that lasted from 1945 to 1951, coming to a head between March and August 1950. The "Question" at stake surrounded whether King Leopold III could return to the country and resume his royal role as King of the Belgians amid allegations that his actions during World War II had gone contrary to the provisions of the Belgian Constitution. It was eventually resolved by the abdication of Leopold in favour of his son, Baudouin, in 1951.

Jean Pierre Duvieusart was a Belgian Catholic politician of the PSC-CVP who served as Prime Minister of Belgium (1950).

Results

Chamber of Deputies

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Christian Social Party	2,356,608	47.68	108	+3
Belgian Socialist Party	1,705,781	34.51	73	+7
Liberal Party	556,102	11.25	20	–9
Communist Party of Belgium	234,541	4.75	7	–5
Liberal-Socialist Kartels	87,252	1.77	4	+4
Cosmocraten	1,535	0.03	0	0
Belgian Patriotic Party	656	0.01	0	0
Independents	332	0.01	0	0
Invalid/blank votes	276,471	–	–	–
Total	5,219,278	100	212	0
Registered voters/turnout	5,635,452	92.62	–	–
Source: Belgian Elections

Senate

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Christian Social Party	2,210,712	47.19	54	0
Belgian Socialist Party	1,631,368	34.82	37	+4
Liberal Party	526,575	11.24	10	–4
Communist Party of Belgium	229,093	4.89	3	–2
Liberal-Socialist Kartels	86,801	1.86	2	+2
Independents	262	0.00	0	0
Invalid/blank votes	280,854	–	–	–
Total	4,965,665	100	106	0
Registered voters/turnout	5,635,452	88.11	–	–
Source: Belgian Elections

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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, pp 309–311
↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p291

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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, pp 309–311

[3] Nohlen & Stöver, p291

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