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Full general elections were held in Belgium on 27 May 1900.[1] They were the first elections under a proportional system (using the D'Hondt method) instead of a majority system,[2] with Belgium becoming the first country to adopt proportional representation for parliamentary elections. Single member constituencies were replaced with multi-member constituencies of between three and eighteen seats.
The introduction of proportional representation was beneficial to the Liberal Party, which significantly increased its number of seats. Although the Catholic Party lost seats, it retained its absolute majority, winning 86 of the 152 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 44 of the 76 seats in the Senate.[3]
Constituencies
The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows for the Chamber of Representatives.[4] As the electoral system changed to a proportional one, the electoral arrondissements with only one or two representatives were grouped together to form larger ones. Each electoral district now had at least 3 representatives, with the exception of Neufchâteau-Virton.
| Province | Arrondissement | Previous | New |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | Antwerp | 11 | |
| Mechelen | 4 | ||
| Turnhout | 3 | ||
| Limburg | Hasselt | 3 | |
| Maaseik | 1 | 3 | |
| Tongeren | 2 | ||
| East Flanders | Aalst | 4 | |
| Oudenaarde | 3 | ||
| Gent | 9 | 10 | |
| Eeklo | 1 | ||
| Dendermonde | 3 | ||
| Sint-Niklaas | 4 | ||
| West Flanders | Bruges | 3 | |
| Roeselare | 2 | 4 | |
| Tielt | 2 | ||
| Kortrijk | 4 | ||
| Ypres | 3 | ||
| Veurne | 1 | 4 | |
| Diksmuide | 1 | ||
| Ostend | 2 | ||
| Brabant | Leuven | 6 | |
| Brussels | 18 | ||
| Nivelles | 4 | ||
| Hainaut | Tournai | 4 | 6 |
| Ath | 2 | ||
| Charleroi | 8 | ||
| Thuin | 3 | ||
| Mons | 6 | ||
| Soignies | 3 | ||
| Liège | Huy | 2 | 4 |
| Waremme | 2 | ||
| Liège | 11 | ||
| Verviers | 4 | ||
| Luxembourg | Arlon | 1 | 3 |
| Marche | 1 | ||
| Bastogne | 1 | ||
| Neufchâteau | 1 | 2 | |
| Virton | 1 | ||
| Namur | Namur | 4 | |
| Dinant | 2 | 4 | |
| Philippeville | 2 | ||
| 152 | 152 | ||
Results
Chamber of Representatives
 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Catholic Party | 993,945 | 48.46 | 86 | |
| Liberal Party | 464,959 | 22.67 | 31 | |
| Belgian Labour Party | 461,295 | 22.49 | 32 | |
| Christene Volkspartij | 52,093 | 2.54 | 1 | |
| Radical Party | 33,840 | 1.65 | 2 | |
| Other parties | 44,782 | 2.18 | 0 | |
| Total | 2,050,914 | 100.00 | 152 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,269,414 | – | ||
| Source: Belgian Elections | ||||
Senate
 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Catholic Party | 911,262 | 52.81 | 44 | |
| Liberal Party | 565,767 | 32.79 | 23 | |
| Belgian Labour Party | 119,000 | 6.90 | 4 | |
| Radical Party | 78,195 | 4.53 | 4 | |
| Social Radical Party | 17,838 | 1.03 | 1 | |
| Liberal dissidents | 4,633 | 0.27 | 0 | |
| Independents | 28,970 | 1.68 | 0 | |
| Total | 1,725,665 | 100.00 | 76 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,020,987 | – | ||
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Belgian Elections | ||||
References
- ^ Nohlen, Dieter; Stöver, Philip (31 May 2010). Elections in Europe: A data handbook. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft. p. 289. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7.
- ^ Shepherd, William R. (1900). "Record of Political Events". Political Science Quarterly. 15 (4): 760. doi:10.2307/2140482. ISSN 0032-3195.
- ^ Nohlen & Stöver, pp307-310
- ^ List of members of the Chamber of Representatives (1900-1901)
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