French legislative election, 1877

French legislative election, 1877

14-28 October 1877
All 521 seats to the Chamber of Deputies 261 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	81.3
First party Second party Third party   Leader Jules Dufaure Georges-Eugène Haussmann Albert de Broglie Party Republicans Parties Republican Union Republican Left Bonapartist Monarchists Parties Orléanists Legitimists Leader's seat Not presented (Senator unremovable) Corse Not presented (Senator for Eure) Seats won 313 104 55 Seat change 80 28 9 Popular vote 4,860,481 1,617,464 857,256 Percentage 60.0% 20.0% 10.6% Swing 13.6% 5.7% 1.4%
Prime Minister before election Gaëtan de Rochebouët Independent Elected Prime Minister Jules Dufaure Republican Left

The 1877 general election to the Chamber of Deputies of the Third Republic was held on 14 and 28 October 1877, during the Seize Mai crisis.

President Patrice de MacMahon dissolved the Chamber of Deputies elected in 1876, in the hope of a conservative and royalist victory. Although the monarchists lost the election, they increased their seat total over 1876; the Republicans lost 80 seats, but retained a majority.

This election proved a serious setback for those hoping for a restoration of the monarchy, such as MacMahon. In the Senate elections of January 1879, the monarchists also lost control of the Senate. MacMahon resigned, and the Republican Jules Grévy was elected president by the National Assembly.^[1]

Along with the 1997 election, it is a rare case of an election in which the sitting President's party lost a general election which he had called.

Results

 Summary of the 14-28 October election results

Parties and coalitions			Votes	%	Seats
	Republican Union + Republican Left		4,860,481	60.0	313
	Bonapartists		1,617,464	20.0	104
	Legitimists		687,422	8.5	44
	Orléanists		169,834	2.1	11
	Others		760,208	9.4	49
Total			8,087,323	100	521
Source: Roi et President

References