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

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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

Chamber of Representatives

Senate

76 senators (half the number of representatives) were directly elected and 26 senators were chosen by the provincial councils, giving a total of 102 senators.

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

Elections and referendums in Belgium (list)
General/federal elections	1830 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1848 1850 1851 1852 1854 1855 1856 1857 1859 1861 1863 1864 1866 1867 1868 1870 (Jun) 1870 (Aug) 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1919 1921 1925 1929 1932 1936 1939 1946 1949 1950 1954 1958 1961 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1978 1981 1985 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2010 2014 Next
Regional elections	1974 1977 1978 1981 1986 1989 1990 1995 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
Provincial elections	1949 1950 1954 1958 1961 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1978 1981 1985 1987 1991 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018
Municipal elections	1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018
European elections	1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
Referendums	1950