1900 Belgian general election
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All 152 seats in the Chamber of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full general elections were held in Belgium on 27 May 1900.[1]
Belgium for the first time conducted their elections using a proportional system (using the D'Hondt method) instead of a majority system.[2] Belgium became the first country to adopt proportional representation as basis of its national level electoral system.
Multi-member districts of 3 to 18 seats each were formed. Where necessary, smaller electoral districts (arrondissements) were grouped into a single electoral district (a group of arrondissements).
The introduction of proportional representation was beneficial to the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party had been largely unsuccessful after the introduction of universal suffrage in 1894. Being previously under-represented based on share of votes received, the party significantly increased its number of seats after adoption of PR.
The Catholic Party thus lost seats but retained its majority position, winning 86 of the 152 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 44 of the 76 seats in the Senate.[3]
Results[edit]
Chamber of Representatives[edit]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Catholic Party | 993,945 | 48.46 | 86 | |
Liberal Party | 464,959 | 22.67 | 31 | |
Belgian Labour Party | 461,295 | 22.49 | 32 | |
Christene Volkspartij | 52,093 | 2.54 | 1 | |
Radical Party | 33,840 | 1.65 | 2 | |
Other parties | 44,782 | 2.18 | 0 | |
Total | 2,050,914 | 100.00 | 152 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 2,269,414 | – | ||
Source: Belgian Elections |
Senate[edit]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Catholic Party | 911,262 | 52.81 | 44 | |
Liberal Party | 565,767 | 32.79 | 23 | |
Belgian Labour Party | 119,000 | 6.90 | 4 | |
Radical Party | 78,195 | 4.53 | 4 | |
Social Radical Party | 17,838 | 1.03 | 1 | |
Liberal dissidents | 4,633 | 0.27 | 0 | |
Independents | 28,970 | 1.68 | 0 | |
Total | 1,725,665 | 100.00 | 76 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 2,020,987 | – | ||
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Belgian Elections |
Constituencies[edit]
The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows for the Chamber of Representatives.[4] As the electoral system changed to a proportional one, the electoral arrondissements with only one or two representatives were grouped together to form larger ones. Each electoral district now had at least 3 representatives, with the exception of Neufchâteau-Virton.
Province | Arrondissement | Previous | New |
---|---|---|---|
Antwerp | Antwerp | 11 | |
Mechelen | 4 | ||
Turnhout | 3 | ||
Limburg | Hasselt | 3 | |
Maaseik | 1 | 3 | |
Tongeren | 2 | ||
East Flanders | Aalst | 4 | |
Oudenaarde | 3 | ||
Gent | 9 | 10 | |
Eeklo | 1 | ||
Dendermonde | 3 | ||
Sint-Niklaas | 4 | ||
West Flanders | Bruges | 3 | |
Roeselare | 2 | 4 | |
Tielt | 2 | ||
Kortrijk | 4 | ||
Ypres | 3 | ||
Veurne | 1 | 4 | |
Diksmuide | 1 | ||
Ostend | 2 | ||
Brabant | Leuven | 6 | |
Brussels | 18 | ||
Nivelles | 4 | ||
Hainaut | Tournai | 4 | 6 |
Ath | 2 | ||
Charleroi | 8 | ||
Thuin | 3 | ||
Mons | 6 | ||
Soignies | 3 | ||
Liège | Huy | 2 | 4 |
Waremme | 2 | ||
Liège | 11 | ||
Verviers | 4 | ||
Luxembourg | Arlon | 1 | 3 |
Marche | 1 | ||
Bastogne | 1 | ||
Neufchâteau | 1 | 2 | |
Virton | 1 | ||
Namur | Namur | 4 | |
Dinant | 2 | 4 | |
Philippeville | 2 | ||
152 | 152 |
References[edit]
- ^ Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (31 May 2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft. p. 289. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.
- ^ Shepherd, William R. (1900). "Record of Political Events". Political Science Quarterly. 15 (4): 760. doi:10.2307/2140482. ISSN 0032-3195.
- ^ Nohlen & Stöver, pp307-310
- ^ List of members of the Chamber of Representatives (1900-1901)