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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Belgium |
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Constitution |
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Foreign relations |
General elections were held in Belgium on 17 February 1946. [1] The result was a victory for the Christian Social Party, which won 92 of the 202 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 51 of the 101 seats in the Senate. [2] Voter turnout was 90.3%. [3]
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.
They were the first elections after the Second World War and saw fundamental changes among the political parties. The Flemish National Union, which held 17 seats prior to the war and collaborated with Nazi Germany during the war, was outlawed. The Catholic Party changed into the Christian Social Party while the Belgian Labour Party changed into the Belgian Socialist Party. The Liberal Party suffered major losses, while the Christian Social Party and the Communist Party made major gains. Despite this, the Socialist Party led by Paul-Henri Spaak formed a minority government, which fell shortly after.
The Vlaams Nationaal Verbond, widely known by its acronym VNV, was a Flemish nationalist political party active in Belgium between 1933 and 1945. It became the leading force of political collaboration in Flanders during the German occupation of Belgium in World War II. Authoritarian by inclination, the party advocated the creation of a "Greater Netherlands" (Dietsland) combining Flanders and the Netherlands.
The Catholic Party was established in 1869 as the Confessional Catholic Party.
The Belgian Labour Party or Belgian Workers' Party was the first major socialist party in Belgium. Founded in 1885, the party was officially disbanded in 1940 and superseded by the Belgian Socialist Party in 1945.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Christian Social Party | 1,006,293 | 42.54 | 92 | |
Belgian Socialist Party | 746,738 | 31.57 | 69 | |
Communist Party of Belgium | 300,099 | 12.69 | 23 | |
Liberal Party | 211,143 | 8.93 | 17 | |
Belgian Democratic Union | 51,095 | 2.16 | 1 | |
Liberal-Socialist Kartels | 37,844 | 1.60 | 0 | |
Union des métiers | 3,360 | 0.14 | 0 | |
FRENSSEN | 2,480 | 0.10 | 0 | |
Independents | 2,785 | 0.12 | 0 | |
Walloon Unity Party | 1,774 | 0.07 | 0 | |
Belgian People's Movement | 865 | 0.04 | 0 | |
Resistant | 676 | 0.03 | 0 | |
Middle Classes | 274 | 0.01 | 0 | |
Belgian Free Independents | 212 | 0.01 | 0 | |
Invalid/blank votes | 94,971 | – | – | |
Total | 2,460,609 | 100 | 202 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 2,724,796 | 90.30 | – | |
Source: Belgian Elections |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Christian Social Party | 999,264 | 42.74 | 51 | |
Belgian Socialist Party | 729,943 | 31.22 | 34 | |
Communist Party of Belgium | 300,655 | 12.86 | 11 | |
Liberal Party | 214,837 | 9.19 | 4 | |
Belgian Democratic Union | 48,441 | 2.07 | 0 | |
Liberal-Socialist Kartels | 33,732 | 1.44 | 1 | |
Union des métiers | 3,764 | 0.16 | 0 | |
Demarrez | 3,753 | 0.16 | 0 | |
Independents | 3,866 | 0.17 | 0 | |
Invalid/blank votes | 106,767 | – | – | |
Total | 2,445,022 | 100 | 101 | |
Source: Belgian Elections |
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