November 1946 French legislative election

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November 1946 French legislative election
Flag of France.svg
  1946 (Jun) 10 November 1946 1951  

All 627 seats to the French National Assembly
314 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout78.05% (Decrease2.svg 3.8 pp)
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
  Maurice Thorez en 1948.jpg Georges Bidault.jpg Mollet Harcourt 1948.jpg
Leader Maurice Thorez Georges Bidault Guy Mollet
Party PCF MRP SFIO
Leader's seat Seine Loire Pas-de-Calais
Last election153 seats166 seats128 seats
Seats won182173102
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 29Increase2.svg 7Decrease2.svg 26
Popular vote5,430,5934,988,6093,433,901
Percentage28.26%25.96%17.87%

 Fourth partyFifth party
  Michel Clemenceau (cropped).png
Leader Michel Clemenceau Jean-Paul David
Party PRL RGR
Leader's seat Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Oise
Last election67 seats*52 seats
Seats won72*69
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 5Increase2.svg 17
Popular vote2,487,3132,136,152
Percentage12.94%11.12%

Elections legislatives francaises de novembre 1946.svg
Results by department

Prime Minister before election

Georges Bidault
MRP

Elected Prime Minister

Georges Bidault
MRP

Legislative elections were held in France on 10 November 1946 to elect the first National Assembly of the Fourth Republic. The electoral system used was proportional representation.

Contents

After the rejection of a first constitutional draft (5 May 1946 referendum), a new provisional National Assembly was elected to elaborate a second text. The Christian democrat leader Georges Bidault (Popular Republican Movement, MRP) led a government which included socialists (French Section of the Workers' International, SFIO) and Communists (French Communist Party, PCF). This Three-parties alliance proposed the establishment of a parliamentary system.

Advocating a presidential government, General Charles de Gaulle campaigned for a "No" vote. He warned against the "regime of the parties" which was, according to him, responsible for the 1940 collapse. His followers founded the Gaullist Union. The Rally of the Republican Lefts (an electoral alliance dominated by the Radical Party) and the classical Right also campaigned for a "No", because they were opposed to a constitutional change and to the economic policy of the three-parties alliance. Despite this, the second constitutional draft was approved by 13 October 1946 referendum.

The French voters were called to elect the first Assembly of the Fourth Republic. The Three-parties alliance won with a comfortable majority. The PCF regained its position as the largest party to the detriment of the Christian democrats. It obtained the best electoral result in its history. The MRP and the SFIO vote decreased slightly.

Consequently, the PCF leader Maurice Thorez demanded to lead the government but his allies refused. Finally, the SFIO former Prime Minister Léon Blum took the head of the Cabinet. Furthermore, another socialist, Vincent Auriol, was elected President of France. The SFIO benefited from its position in the middle of the governmental alliance. However, the alliance split in due to the 1947 strikes and the beginning of the Cold War. The Communist ministers were dismissed by socialist Prime Minister Paul Ramadier. The SFIO, the MRP, the Radicals and the classical right allied to form the Third Force coalition, against the Communists on the one hand and the Gaullists on the other.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
French Communist Party 5,489,28828.59166
Popular Republican Movement 5,058,30726.34158
French Section of the Workers' International 3,431,95417.8790
Conservatives (AD–DM–ER–PP–PRL)2,465,52612.8470
Radicals (RS–RG–IG–PRRS–RGR)2,381,38512.4055
Gaullists312,6321.635
Others63,9790.330
Total19,203,071100.00544
Valid votes19,203,07198.15
Invalid/blank votes362,6721.85
Total votes19,565,743100.00
Registered voters/turnout25,052,52378.10
Source: Nohlen & Stöver [1]

See also

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, pp693–704 ISBN   9783832956097