Luxembourg general election, 1945

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General elections were held in Luxembourg on 21 October 1945. [1] They were the first elections held after the German occupation during World War II. As a result of the war, the political alliances of the interwar period had been ended. In their place were new parties; the Christian Social People's Party, the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party, and the Patriotic and Democratic Group in place of the Party of the Right, Socialist Party, and Radical Liberal Party respectively. It is regarded as a realigning election, as the election established the party political order, with four established parties, that would be maintained until 1974.

Luxembourg Grand duchy in western Europe

Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a small landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the three official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU. Its culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and German cultures, as evident by the nation's three official languages: French, German, and the national language, Luxembourgish. The repeated invasions by Germany, especially in World War II, resulted in the country's strong will for mediation between France and Germany and, among other things, led to the foundation of the European Union.

Interwar period Period between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II

In the context of the history of the 20th century, the interwar period was the period between the end of the First World War in November 1918 and the beginning of the Second World War in September 1939.

Christian Social Peoples Party political party in Luxembourg

The Christian Social People's Party, abbreviated to CSV or PCS, is the largest political party in Luxembourg. The party follows a Christian-democratic ideology and, like most parties in Luxembourg, is strongly pro-European. The CSV is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and the Centrist Democrat International (CDI).

The conservatives remained the dominant faction, and the Christian Social People's Party's leader, Pierre Dupong, was invited to head another government. The election was also a success for both liberal and communist candidates, with both the Patriotic and Democratic Group and the Communist Party gaining four more seats than in the last election before the war. [2] To restore political stability, Grand Duchess Charlotte asked Dupong to create a more broad-based coalition than the preceding Liberation Government. The resulting National Union Government would embrace all four political parties, and also include the solitary independent, guaranteeing the support of the whole Chamber of Deputies. The government remained in place until 1947.

Pierre Dupong Prime Minister of Luxembourg

Pierre Dupong was a Luxembourgish politician and statesman. He was the 16th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for seventeen years, from 5 November 1937 until his death, on 23 December 1953, and was also responsible at different times for the ministries of finance, the army, agriculture, labour and social matters. He founded the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) as the main conservative party after the Second World War, having been a founding member of the Party of the Right (PD) in 1914.

Communist Party of Luxembourg political party in Luxembourg

The Communist Party of Luxembourg, abbreviated to KPL or PCL, is a communist party in Luxembourg.

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964

Charlotte reigned as Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 until her abdication in 1964.

Results

PartyVotes% [a] Seats
Christian Social People's Party 907,60144.725
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party 569,02523.411
Patriotic and Democratic Group 366,86018.09
Communist Party of Luxembourg 295,70111.15
Party of Independents of the East 13,9771.61
Liberal Party36,3211.20
Other parties2,0150.10
Invalid/blank votes5,487
Total159,08310051
Registered voters/turnout
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

a The percentage of votes is not related to the number of votes in the table, as voters could cast more votes in some constituencies than others, and is instead calculated based on the proportion of votes received in each constituency. [3]

Popular Vote
Christian Social People's Party
44.7%
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
23.4%
Patriotic and Democratic Group
18.0%
Communist Party of Luxembourg
11.1%
Party of Independents of the East
1.6%
Liberal Party
1.2%

Footnotes

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1244 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Although the Patriotic and Democratic Group was a new party, they won four more than their ideological predecessors, the Radical Liberals, had in 1937.
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1254

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