Belgian general election, 1968

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Belgian general election, 1968
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
  1965 31 March 1968 1971  

212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives

 First partySecond partyThird party
  Gaston Eyskens (1969).jpg Leo Collard 1968.jpg Omer Vanaudenhove.jpg
Leader Gaston Eyskens Léo Collard Omer Vanaudenhove
Party Christian Social Socialist PVV
Leader sinceCandidate for PM19591961
Last election77 seats, 34.45%64 seats, 28.28%48 seats, 21.61%
Seats won695947
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 8Decrease2.svg 5Decrease2.svg 1
Popular vote1,643,7851,403,1071,080,894
Percentage31.75%27.10%20.87%
SwingDecrease2.svg 2.65%Decrease2.svg 1.18%Decrease2.svg 0.74%

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  No image.png No image.png No image.png
LeaderFrans Van der ElstAlbert Peeters
Party VU DéFI RW
Leader since19551967
Last election12 seats, 6.69%3 seats, 1.33%New
Seats won2066
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 8Increase2.svg 3New
Popular vote506,697154,023151,421
Percentage9.79%2.92%2.92%
SwingIncrease2.svg 3.10%Increase2.svg 1.59%New

Belgian federal election 1968 - Chamber - circumscriptions.svg
Colours denote the winning party in each electoral district (for the Chamber of Deputies).

Prime Minister before election

Paul Vanden Boeynants
Christian Social

Elected Prime Minister

Gaston Eyskens
Christian Social

State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Belgium
Constitution
Foreign relations

General elections were held in Belgium on 31 March 1968. [1] The Christian Social Party remained the largest party. [2] Voter turnout was 90.0%. [3] Elections for the nine provincial councils were also held.

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 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.

Provinces of Belgium subdivision of Belgium

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.

Contents

The snap elections were called after the government, a coalition of the Christian Social Party and the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress led by Christian Democrat Paul Vanden Boeynants, fell due to the Leuven Crisis.

Paul Vanden Boeynants Belgian politician (1919-2001)

Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants was a Belgian politician. He served as the 41st Prime Minister of Belgium for two brief periods.

The linguistic crisis would trigger the split of the dominant Christian Social Party into a Flemish and French-speaking party. The two other main parties would follow suit. The crisis also caused the rise of small linguistic, federalist parties, such as the People's Union on the Flemish side and the Democratic Front of the Francophones and Walloon Rally on the French-speaking side.

People's Union was a Flemish nationalist political party in Belgium, formed in 1954 as a successor to the Christian Flemish People's Union.

The Walloon Rally is a regionalist political party in Belgium, active in Wallonia since 1968. The party favoured federalism and since 1985 independence.

Results

Chamber of Deputies

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Christian Social Party 1,643,78531.7569–8
Belgian Socialist Party 1,403,10727.1059–5
Party for Freedom and Progress 1,080,89420.8747–1
People's Union 506,6979.7920+8
Vanden Boeynants Cartel236,2834.560New
Communist Party of Belgium 170,6253.305–1
Democratic Front of the Francophones 154,0232.926+3
Walloon Rally 151,4212.926New
Red Lions 46,0650.890New
Walloon Workers3,4740.070New
Pro-Peking Communists3,1190.060New
ULS2,6940.050New
Return to Liège1,9330.040New
Flemish Social Movement1,9220.040New
Kaganovemus1,6340.0300
Dierenbes1,6080.030New
Walloon Communists9640.020New
Z. Kleur7230.010New
Flemish Communists7020.010New
FU Pop5720.010New
Trotskyists2890.010New
SH1980.000New
RJB1610.000New
Invalid/blank votes376,700
Total5,554,6521002120
Registered voters/turnout6,170,16790.02
Source: Belgian Elections

Senate

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Belgian Socialist Party 1,454,87928.4633+2
Christian Social Party 1,393,17427.2529–15
Party for Freedom and Progress 1,114,42821.8022–1
People's Union 513,34210.049+5
FDF-RW 308,8596.045+4
Communist Party of Belgium 271,5865.312–1
Vanden Boeyants-Christian Social Party Kartel 252,3314.946New
Red Lions 45,0970.880New
Walloon Workers3,7770.070New
Pro-Peking Communists3,4520.070New
Kaganovemus2,6940.0500
ULS2,3640.050New
Flemish Communists8010.020New
Walloon Communists5200.010New
FU Pop4950.010New
Invalid/blank votes441,379
Total5,553,1971001060
Registered voters/turnout6,170,16790.00
Source: Belgian Elections

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References

  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, p291