Czechoslovak parliamentary election, 1946

Czechoslovak parliamentary election, 1946

26 May 1946 (1946-05-26)
All 300 seats to the Constituent National Assembly 151 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	93.9%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Klement Gottwald Petr Zenkl Jan Šrámek Party KSČ ČSNS ČSL Seats after 93 55 46 Seat change 63 27 24 Popular vote 2,205,697 1,298,980 1,111,009 Percentage 31.2% 18.4% 15.7%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Jozef Lettrich Zdeněk Fierlinger Štefan Bašťovanský Party DS ČSSD KSS Seats after 43 37 21 Seat change 43 1 21 Popular vote 999,622 855,538 489,596 Percentage 14.1% 12.1% 6.9%   Seventh party Eighth party   Leader Vavro Šrobár Ivan Frlička Party SS SP Seats after 3 2 Seat change 3 2 Popular vote 60,195 50,079 Percentage 0.9% 0.7%
Prime Minister before election Zdeněk Fierlinger ČSSD Elected Prime Minister Klement Gottwald KSČ

Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 26 May 1946.^[1] The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia emerged as the largest party, winning 114 of the 300 seats (93 for the main party and 21 for its Slovak branch) with 38% of the vote (31 percent for the main party and 6.9 percent for the Slovak branch). This was the best performance for a Czechoslovak party up to that time; previously no Czechoslovak party had ever won more than 25 percent of the vote. Voter turnout was 93.9%.^[2] As it turned out, this was one of only two even partially free elections held in what would become the Eastern bloc, the other having been held in Hungary a year earlier.^[3] It would be the last free election held in Czechoslovakia until 1990.^[4]

The national results also determined the composition of the Slovak National Council and local committees.

Background

After World War II a 300-member interim National Assembly was formed and met for the first time on 28 October 1945.^[5] The Assembly created a new electoral system with the country divided into 28 multi-member constituencies.^[6] 150 members were elected from Bohemia, 81 from Moravia and Silesia and 69 from Slovakia. The voting age was lowered to 18, but only Czechs, Slovaks and other Slavs could register to vote.^[5]

Opinion polls

Results

Aftermath

Following the elections, Communist leader Klement Gottwald formed a coalition government. However, the Communists gradually tightened their grip on the country. After the non-Communist members resigned from the Cabinet on 25 February 1948, the Communists seized full control of the country.^[8][9]

References