Belgian general election, 1961
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212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives |
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General elections were held in Belgium on 26 March 1961.[1] The result was a victory for the Christian Social Party, which won 96 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 47 of the 106 seats in the Senate.[2] Voter turnout was 92.3%.[3] Elections for the nine provincial councils were also held.
Prior to the elections, the centre-right government of the Christian Social and Liberal Party led by Gaston Eyskens pushed through austerity measures with a law known as the Eenheidswet or Loi Unique, despite heavy strikes in the preceding weeks, especially in Wallonia. After the elections, the Christian Democrats formed a new government with the Socialist Party instead of the Liberal Party, with Théo Lefèvre as Prime Minister.
Results
Chamber of Deputies
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Social Party | 2,182,642 | 41.46 | 96 | –8 |
| Belgian Socialist Party | 1,933,424 | 36.72 | 84 | –4 |
| Liberal Party | 649,376 | 12.33 | 20 | 0 |
| People's Union | 182,407 | 3.46 | 5 | +4 |
| Communist Party of Belgium | 162,238 | 3.08 | 5 | +3 |
| National Rally | 42,450 | 0.81 | 1 | New |
| Independent Party | 33,174 | 0.63 | 0 | New |
| National Union of Independents | 12,252 | 0.23 | 0 | New |
| National Party | 4,375 | 0.08 | 0 | New |
| Liberal Dissidents | 3,956 | 0.08 | 0 | New |
| Walloon Unity | 3,466 | 0.07 | 0 | New |
| Alleenstaande | 3,101 | 0.06 | 0 | New |
| Zelfstandig | 2,307 | 0.04 | 0 | New |
| Francophone Bloc | 1,824 | 0.03 | 0 | New |
| Gekavemus | 604 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| Independent Workers | 551 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| Universal People | 480 | 0.01 | 0 | New |
| EC Group | 154 | 0.00 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 46,244 | 0.88 | 1 | – |
| Invalid/blank votes | 308,815 | – | – | – |
| Total | 5,573,840 | 100 | 212 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,036,165 | 92.34 | – | – |
| Source: Belgian Elections | ||||
Senate
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Social Party | 2,200,323 | 42.12 | 47 | –6 |
| Belgian Socialist Party | 1,924,605 | 36.84 | 45 | +5 |
| Liberal Party | 637,922 | 12.20 | 11 | +1 |
| Communist Party of Belgium | 163,576 | 3.13 | 1 | 0 |
| People's Union | 159,096 | 3.05 | 2 | +2 |
| National Movement | 26,211 | 0.65 | 0 | New |
| Independent Party | 21,421 | 0.41 | 0 | New |
| National Union of Independents | 21,421 | 0.41 | 0 | New |
| Liberal Dissidents | 7,711 | 0.15 | 0 | New |
| National Rally | 5,425 | 0.10 | 0 | New |
| National Party | 4,457 | 0.09 | 0 | New |
| Walloon Unity | 3,478 | 0.07 | 0 | New |
| Francophone Bloc | 1,947 | 0.04 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 36,646 | 0.70 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 349,475 | – | – | – |
| Total | 5,573,982 | 100 | 106 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,036,165 | 92.34 | – | – |
| 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
