Belgian general election, 1884
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69 of the 138 seats in the Chamber of Representatives 70 seats needed for a majority |
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Partial general elections were held in Belgium on 10 June, 17 June and 8 July 1884.[1][2] The result was a victory for the Catholic Party, which won 86 of the 138 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 43 of the 69 seats in the Senate.[2] Voter turnout was 79.1%, although only 69,276 people were eligible to vote.
Under the alternating system, elections for the Chamber of Representatives were only held in five out of the nine provinces: Antwerp, Brabant, Luxembourg, Namur and West Flanders. Special elections were held in the arrondissements of Aalst and Sint-Niklaas, for one representative in each.
The election ended the First School War. The Liberal government under Walthère Frère-Orban, which aimed to secularize education, lost the election. The Catholic Party under Jules Malou gained an absolute majority, which they would retain until the First World War.
Results
Chamber of Representatives
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Total | +/– | |||
| Catholic Party | 33,428 | 61.0 | 67 | 86 | +17 |
| Liberal Party | 21,294 | 38.9 | 2 | 52 | –17 |
| Others | 68 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 3,366 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 58,156 | 100 | 69 | 138 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 69,276 | 79.1 | – | – | – |
| Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] Sternberger et al | |||||
Senate
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic Party | 43 | +11 | ||
| Liberal Party | 26 | –11 | ||
| Total | 69 | 0 | ||
| Source: Sternberger et al. | ||||
