Belgian general election, 1859

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Belgian general election, 1859
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
  1857 14 June 1859 (1859-06-14) 1861  

58 of the 116 seats in the Chamber of Representatives
57 seats needed for a majority

 First partySecond party
  Charlesrogier.jpg No image.png
Leader Charles Rogier
Party Liberal Catholic
Leader sinceCandidate for PM
Seats before70 seats38 seats
Seats won3127
Seats after6947
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 1Increase2.svg 9
Popular vote15,05212,726
Percentage54.19%45.81%

Government before election

Rogier II
Liberal

Elected Government

Rogier II
Liberal

State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg
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Partial general elections were held in Belgium on 14 June 1859. [1] [2] The result was a victory for the Liberal Party, which won 69 of the 116 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 31 of the 58 seats in the Senate. [2] Voter turnout was 55.9%, although only 49,672 people were eligible to vote.

Belgium Federal constitutional monarchy in Western Europe

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 Liberal Party was a Belgian political party that existed from 1846 until 1961, when it became the Party for Freedom and Progress, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang/Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès or PVV-PLP, under the leadership of Omer Vanaudenhove.

Contents

Under the alternating system, elections for the Chamber of Representatives were only held in five out of the nine provinces: Antwerp, Brabant, Luxembourg, Namur and West Flanders. Additionally, special elections were held on the same day in the arrondissements of Charleroi, Liège and Mons.

Luxembourg (Belgium) Province of Belgium

Luxembourg, also called Belgian Luxembourg, is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the country of Luxembourg, France, and the Belgian provinces of Namur and Liège. Its capital is Arlon, in the south-east of the province.

Campaign

Twelve of the 58 seats were uncontested, of which the Catholics won nine and the Liberals three. [3]

Results

Chamber of Representatives

PartyVotes%Seats
WonTotal+/–
Liberal Party 15,05254.23169–1
Catholics12,72645.82747+9
Invalid/blank votes10,194
Total37,97210058116+8
Registered voters/turnout49,67255.9
Source: Mackie & Rose, [3] Sternberger et al

The results exclude the voting figures for the Leper Colony seat. [3]

Senate

PartyVotes%Seats
Liberal Party 31
Catholics27
Total58
Sternberger et al.

Constituencies

The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows for the Chamber of Representatives, with the difference compared to the previous election due to population growth: [4]

ProvinceArrondissementSeatsChange
Antwerp Antwerp 6
Mechelen 3
Turnhout 3+1
Limburg Hasselt 2
Maaseik 1
Tongeren 2
East Flanders Aalst 3
Oudenaarde 3
Gent 8
Eeklo 1
Dendermonde 3
Sint-Niklaas 3
West Flanders Bruges 3
Roeselare 2
Tielt 2
Kortrijk 4
Ypres 3
Veurne 1
Diksmuide 1
Ostend 1
Brabant Leuven 4
Brussels 11+2
Nivelles 4
Hainaut Tournai 4
Ath 2
Charleroi 4+1
Thuin 2
Mons 5+1
Soignies 3
Liège Huy 2
Waremme 1
Liège 7+2
Verviers 3
Luxembourg Arlon 1
Marche 1
Bastogne 1
Neufchâteau 1
Virton 1
Namur Namur 4+1
Dinant 2
Philippeville 2
116+8

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References

  1. Codebook Constituency-level Elections Archive, 2003
  2. 1 2 Sternberger, D, Vogel, B & Nohlen, D (1969) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band I: Europa - Erster Halbband, p105
  3. 1 2 3 Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan, p46
  4. List of members of the Chamber of Representatives (1859)