Belgian general election, 1831

29 August 1831 (1831-08-29)

All 102 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 51 seats in the Senate

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General elections were held in Belgium on 29 August 1831.^[1] They were the first elections to the new bicameral parliament, as instituted by the Belgian Constitution adopted in February 1831.

In the Senate elections Catholics won 31 seats and Liberals four.^[1] Voter turnout was 62.2%, although only 46,000 people (1.1% of the country's population) were eligible to vote.^[1]

On 8 September 1831, King Leopold I of Belgium opened the 1831-1832 parliamentary session, the first ever of the Belgian Parliament.^[2]

Electoral system

The electoral system was defined in the Constitution of 7 February 1831 and in the electoral law of 3 March 1831.

102 members of the Chamber of Representatives and 51 members of the Senate were elected by absolute majority in 43 electoral districts. The number of representatives per district ranged from 1 to 7; the number of senators from 1 to 3; some of them were elected by joint or alternating districts.

Eligible to vote were men aged 25 or older who held the 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.

Results

Senate

Party	Votes	%	Seats
Catholics			31
Liberals			4
Independents			16
Total			51
Sternberger et al.

References

1 2 3 Sternberger, D, Vogel, B & Nohlen, D (1969) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band I: Europa - Erster Halbband, p105
↑ Discours du Trône pour l'ouverture de la session 1831-1832, prononcé par Sa Majesté, Chamber of Representatives

Elections and referendums in Belgium (list)

General/federal elections	1830 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1848 1850 1851 1852 1854 1855 1856 1857 1859 1861 1863 1864 1866 1867 1868 1870 (Jun) 1870 (Aug) 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1919 1921 1925 1929 1932 1936 1939 1946 1949 1950 1954 1958 1961 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1978 1981 1985 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2010 2014 Next

Regional elections	1974 1977 1978 1981 1986 1989 1990 1995 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019

Provincial elections	1949 1950 1954 1958 1961 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1978 1981 1985 1987 1991 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018

Municipal elections	1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018

European elections	1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019

Referendums	1950

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