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1831 Belgian general election

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FieldValue
election_name1831 Belgian general election
countryBelgium
typeparliamentary
next_election1833 Belgian general election
next_year1833
seats_for_electionAll 102 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and all 51 seats in the Senate
election_date
titleGovernment
posttitleGovernment after election
before_electionde Mûelenaere
after_electionde Mûelenaere
before_partyCatholic-Liberal
after_partyCatholic-Liberal

General elections were held in Belgium on 29 August 1831. They were the first elections to the new bicameral parliament created by the constitution adopted in February 1831.

In the Senate elections Catholics won 31 seats and Liberals four. Voter turnout was 62.2%, although only 46,000 people (1.1% of the country's population) were eligible to vote.

On 8 September 1831, King Leopold I of Belgium opened the 1831–1832 parliamentary session, the first ever of the Belgian Parliament.

Electoral system

The electoral system was defined in the 1831 constitution and the electoral law of 3 March 1831. The 102 members of the Chamber of Representatives and 51 members of the Senate were elected by absolute majority in 44 electoral districts. Each district had between one and seven representatives and one to three senators; some were elected by joint or alternating districts.

Eligibility vote was restricted to men aged 25 or older who held Belgian nationality either through birth or through grand naturalisation, and who paid a cens fixed by the electoral law. The cens differentiated depending on the place of residence.

Constituencies

The 44 constituencies elected 102 representatives and appointed 51 senators as follows.

ProvinceConstituencyRepresentativesSenators
Antwerp
(9 representatives;
4 senators)Antwerp42
Mechelen31
Turnhout21
Brabant
(14 representatives;
7 senators)Brussels73.5
Nivelles31.5
Leuven42
West Flanders
(15 representatives;
8 senators)Bruges31
Ypres21.5
Kortrijk32
Tielt21
Roeselare21
Veurne11.5
Ostend1
Diksmuide1
East Flanders
(18 representatives;
9 senators)Ghent63
Aalst32
Sint-Niklaas31
Oudenaarde31
Dendermonde21
Eeklo11
Hainaut
(15 representatives;
7 senators)Mons31.5
Tournai41.5
Charleroi2.51
Thuin1.51
Soignies21
Ath21
Liège
(9 representatives;
5 senators)Liège4.52
Huy1.51
Verviers21
Waremme11
Limburg
(9 representatives;
4 senators)Maastricht3.52
Hasselt2.51
Roermond31
Luxembourg
(8 representatives;
4 senators)Bastogne11.5
Marche1
Neufchâteau1
Virton1
Diekirch11.5
Grevenmacher1
Arlon1
Luxembourg11
Namur
(5 representatives;
3 senators)Namur31.5
Philippeville10.5
Dinant11

Results

Senate

References

References

  1. Sternberger, D, Vogel, B & Nohlen, D (1969) ''Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band I: Europa - Erster Halbband'', p105
  2. [http://www.dekamer.be/digidoc/DPS/K0500/K05000014/K05000014.PDF Discours du Trône pour l'ouverture de la session 1831-1832, prononcé par Sa Majesté], Chamber of Representatives
  3. ''Recueil des décrets du congrès national de la Belgique'', vol. 2 (Brussels, H. Remy, 1831), pp. 218-228. [https://books.google.com/books?id=8DhEAAAAcAAJ On Google Books]
  4. Heuschling, Xavier. (1878). "Statistique de la population dans ses rapports avec la représentation narionale". Revue de Belgique.
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