Belgian general election, 1914
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88 of the 186 seats in the Chamber of Representatives |
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Partial general elections were held in Belgium on 24 May 1914.[1] The result was a victory for the Catholic Party, which won 41 of the 88 seats up for election in the Chamber of Representatives.[2]
Under the alternating system, elections were only held in four out of the nine provinces: Hainaut, Limburg, Liège and East Flanders. This was the last time this system was applied, as the next elections in 1919 saw the introduction of full four-year terms.
The elections occurred shortly before the outbreak of World War I. The newly elected legislature met for just one day in a special session: on 4 August 1914, when King Albert I addressed the United Chambers of Parliament upon the German invasion of Belgium. The parliament met again after the war in November 1918.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic Party | 570,806 | 42.8 | 41 | –2 |
| Belgian Labour Party | 404,701 | 30.3 | 26 | +1 |
| Liberal Party | 326,922 | 24.5 | 20 | +1 |
| Christene Volkspartij | 22,619 | 1.7 | 1 | 0 |
| Other parties | 9,933 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | – | ||
| Total | 1,334,581 | 100 | 88 | 88 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||
Seats up for election
Seats in the provinces of Antwerp, Brabant, Luxembourg, Namur and West Flanders were not up for election.
| Province | Arrondissement(s) | Chamber |
|---|---|---|
| Limburg | Hasselt | 3 |
| Tongeren-Maaseik | 4 | |
| East Flanders | Aalst | 5 |
| Oudenaarde | 3 | |
| Gent-Eeklo | 12 | |
| Dendermonde | 4 | |
| Sint-Niklaas | 4 | |
| Hainaut | Tournai-Ath | 6 |
| Charleroi | 11 | |
| Thuin | 3 | |
| Mons | 7 | |
| Soignies | 4 | |
| Liège | Huy-Waremme | 4 |
| Liège | 13 | |
| Verviers | 5 | |
| Total | 88 | |
