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%

Full general elections were held in Belgium on 14 October 1894, 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. This followed the abolition of tax qualifications, and increased the number of voters tenfold. Voting was also made compulsory. Provincial senators were introduced in addition to the existing directly elected ones.

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. 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. 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

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Catholic Party	926,987	50.0	104	+12
Liberal Party	515,808	27.8	20	–40
Belgian Labour Party	301,940	16.3	28	+28
Liberal-Socialist Cartels	32,914	1.8	0	–
Christene Volkspartij	26,224	1.4	0	0
Other parties	48,354	2.6	0	–
Invalid/blank votes	89,364	–	–	–
Total	1,941,591	100	152	0
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Senate

74 senators were directly elected and 26 senators were chosen by the provincial councils, giving a total of 100 senators.

Party	Votes	%	Seats
Catholic Party	597,184	52.5
Liberal Party	495,288	43.5
Liberal-Socialist Cartels	28,812	2.5
Belgian Labour Party	16,535	1.5
Invalid/blank votes		–	–
Total	1,137,819	100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Constituencies

The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows for the Chamber of Representatives. There were no changes compared to the previous election.

Province	Arrondissement	Seats	Won by
Antwerp	Antwerp	11	Catholics
	Mechelen	4	Catholics
	Turnhout	3	Catholics
Limburg	Hasselt	3	Catholics
	Maaseik	1	Catholics
	Tongeren	2	Catholics
East Flanders	Aalst	4	Catholics
	Oudenaarde	3	Catholics
	Gent	9	Catholics
	Eeklo	1	Catholics
	Dendermonde	3	Catholics
	Sint-Niklaas	4	Catholics
West Flanders	Bruges	3	Catholics
	Roeselare	2	Catholics
	Tielt	2	Catholics
	Kortrijk	4	Catholics
	Ypres	3	Catholics
	Veurne	1	Catholics
	Diksmuide	1	Catholics
	Ostend	2	Catholics
Brabant	Leuven	6	Catholics
	Brussels	18	Catholics
	Nivelles	4	Liberals (3), Catholics (1)
Hainaut	Tournai	4	Catholics
	Ath	2	Catholics
	Charleroi	8	Socialists
	Thuin	3	Liberals
	Mons	6	Socialists
	Soignies	3	Socialists
Liège	Huy	2	Liberals
	Waremme	2	Catholics
	Liège	11	Socialists (6), Liberals (5)
	Verviers	4	Socialists
Luxembourg	Arlon	1	Liberals
	Marche	1	Catholics
	Bastogne	1	Catholics
	Neufchâteau	1	Catholics
	Virton	1	Liberals
Namur	Namur	4	Liberals (3), Socialists (1)
	Dinant	2	Catholics
	Philippeville	2	Liberals
		152