Belgian general election, 1894

Belgian general election, 1894

14 October 1894 (1894-10-14)
All 152 seats in the Chamber of Representatives 77 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party Catholic Labour Liberal Last election 92 seats 0 seats 60 seats Seats won 104 28 20 Seat change 12 28 40 Popular vote 926,987 301,940 515,808 Percentage 56.4% 18.4% 31.4%
Government before election de Burlet Government Catholic Elected Government de Burlet Government Catholic

Kingdom of Belgium
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Belgium
Constitution
Monarchy Monarch (list) Philippe Duchess of Brabant Elisabeth of Belgium Crown Council Royal Family
Federal Parliament Senate President: Christine Defraigne Chamber of Representatives President: Siegfried Bracke
Federal Cabinet Michel Government Prime Minister: Charles Michel
Federal Judiciary Highest courts Constitutional Court Court of Cassation Council of State Appeal courts Court of Appeal Court of Labour Court of Assize First instance tribunals Court of First Instance Correctional Court Juvenile Court Labour Court Commercial Court Small claims Small crimes Police Court Justice of the Peace
Recent elections European 2004 2009 2014 2019 Federal 2007 2010 2014 2019 Regional 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local 2000 2006 2012 2018 Political parties
Subdivisions Communities and regions Provinces Arrondissements Municipalities
Foreign relations
Other countries Atlas

Full general elections were held in Belgium on 14 October 1894,^[1] with run-off elections held on 21 October 1894.

The elections followed several major reforms: they were the first held under universal male suffrage for those over the age of 25.^[2] This followed the abolition of tax qualifications, and increased the number of voters tenfold.^[2] Voting was also made compulsory. Provincial senators were introduced in addition to the existing directly elected ones.

The electoral reforms were implemented in 1893 under the Catholic government led by Auguste Beernaert, who had been in power for nearly ten years, but who resigned because his proposal for proportional representation was rejected. A government led by Jules de Burlet took over in March 1894.

The result was a victory for the Catholic Party, which won all seats in every Flemish arrondissement, in Brussels and in seven rural Walloon arrondissements, giving a total of 104 of the 152 seats in the Chamber of Representatives.^[3] The Belgian Labour Party gained parliamentary representation for the first time, winning all seats of Mons, Soignies, Charleroi, Verviers, 6 seats in Liège and one in Namur. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party, despite receiving more votes than the socialists, won only 20 seats and thus lost two-thirds of its seats.^[4] This was caused by the concentration of socialists in industrial Walloon areas, compared to the dispersed presence of liberal voters throughout the country. This highlighted the need for a proportional system, which would eventually be introduced in 1899.

Results

Constituencies

The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows for the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate.^[5] There were no changes in districts and seat distribution compared to the previous election, except for the introduction of provincial senators.

References