1857 Belgian general election

General elections were held in Belgium on 10 December 1857,[1][2] the first full general elections since 1848.[3] The elections were called by royal order of 12 November 1857, dissolving the Chamber of Representatives that had convened in a new session only two days earlier.

1857 Belgian general election

10 December 1857 (1857-12-10)

All 108 seats in the Chamber of Representatives
55 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Charles Rogier Pierre de Decker
Party Liberal Catholic
Last election 45 seats 63 seats
Seats won 70 38
Seat change Increase 25 Decrease 25
Popular vote 39,280 32,503
Percentage 54.72% 45.28%

Government before election

de Decker
Catholic-Liberal

Government after election

Rogier II
Liberal

Going into the elections, Liberals held a majority in the Senate and the Catholics in the Chamber of Representatives. The unionist (Catholic–liberal) De Decker government resigned and a liberal government led by Charles Rogier took over shortly before the elections were called.

In the elections for the Chamber of Representatives the result was a victory for the Liberal Party, which won 70 of the 108 seats.[2] The Liberal Party now had a majority in both chambers of parliament.

Voter turnout was 79%,[3] although only 90,543 men (2% of the country's population) were eligible to vote.[2]

Campaign

Twelve of the 108 seats were uncontested, of which the Liberals won three and the Catholics nine.[3]

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Liberal Party39,28054.7270+25
Catholics32,50345.2838–25
Total71,783100.001080
Total votes71,783
Registered voters/turnout90,54379.28
Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] Sternberger et al.

References

  1. Codebook Constituency-level Elections Archive, 2003
  2. Sternberger, D, Vogel, B & Nohlen, D (1969) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band I: Europa - Erster Halbband, p105
  3. Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan, p46
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