Belgian general election, 1958
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212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives |
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General elections were held in Belgium on 1 June 1958.[1] The result was a victory for the Christian Social Party, which won 104 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 53 of the 106 seats in the Senate.[2] Voter turnout was 93.6% in the Chamber election and 93.7% in the Senate election.[3] Elections for the nine provincial councils were also held.
The election took place in a political crisis known as the Second School War. The outgoing anti-clerical "purple" government of the Socialist and Liberal Party, led by Achille Van Acker, reversed policies of the previous Catholic-led government regarding private schools. The Van Acker government lost the election, leading to again a Catholic government led by Gaston Eyskens. That government, which was a few seats short of a majority in the Chamber, would be the last single-party government in Belgian history. Later in 1958, the School War was ended by a cross-party agreement and the Liberal Party joined the government.
Results
Chamber of Deputies
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Social Party | 2,465,549 | 46.50 | 104 | +9 |
| Belgian Socialist Party | 1,897,646 | 35.79 | 80 | –2 |
| Liberal Party | 585,999 | 11.05 | 20 | –4 |
| Liberal-Soclialist Kartels | 111,284 | 2.10 | 5 | 0 |
| People's Union | 104,823 | 1.98 | 1 | New |
| Communist Party of Belgium | 100,145 | 1.89 | 2 | –2 |
| Other parties | 36,907 | 0.70 | 0 | – |
| Invalid/blank votes | 272,774 | – | – | – |
| Total | 5,575,127 | 100 | 212 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 5,954,858 | 93.62 | – | – |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||
Senate
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Social Party | 2,390,368 | 45.45 | 53 | +4 |
| Belgian Socialist Party | 1,886,242 | 35.87 | 40 | –2 |
| Liberal Party | 574,230 | 10.92 | 10 | –1 |
| Liberal-Soclialist Kartels | 111,299 | 2.12 | 2 | 0 |
| Communist Party of Belgium | 100,788 | 1.92 | 1 | –1 |
| People's Union | 79,198 | 1.51 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic Party | 11,309 | 0.22 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 16,145 | 3.07 | 0 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 320,096 | – | – | – |
| Total | 5,579,125 | 100 | 106 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 5,954,858 | 93.69 | – | – |
| Source: Belgian Elections | ||||
References
- ↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p289 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, pp309-311
- ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p291
