French legislative election, 1898

French legislative election, 1898

8–22 May 1898

All 585 seats to the Chamber of Deputies   Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Jules Méline Henri Brisson Jacques Piou Party Union of the Lefts Radical Republicans Union of the Rights Leader's seat Vosges Seine Haute-Garonne Seats won 254 178 96 Seat change 63 40 3 Popular vote 3,262,725 1,923,079 1,497,976 Percentage 45.30% 25.08% 19.51% Swing 2.75 2.18 1.19

Composition of the Chamber of Deputies

Prime Minister before election Jules Méline Union of the Lefts Elected Prime Minister Henri Brisson Radical Republican

The 1898 general election was held on 8 and 22 May 1898.

The government of Jules Méline, who had been premier since April 1896, had relied on the support of Conservatives, contrary to the convention of republican concentration, according to which no government should rely on the support of monarchists and Bonapartists in the Chamber of Deputies if it could not rely on a republican majority.

The election was dominated by the Dreyfus Affair, and saw several notable supporters of Dreyfus (Joseph Reinach, Jean Jaurès, Jules Guesde) lose their seats. Twenty-two professed anti-Semites were also elected, including Édouard Drumont. Overall, however, the election saw the defeat of Méline and his supporters: the Radicals were victorious, allowing Henri Brisson to form a republican government.^[1]

Results

Popular Vote

Party		Votes	% Vote
	Progressistes (Moderate Republicans)	3,262,725	40.25%
	Gauche radicale (Moderate Radicals)	1,293,507	15.96%
	Ralliés	905,110	11.16%
	Monarchists	887,759	10.95%
	Socialists	791,148	9.76%
	Radicaux socialistes	629,572	7.77%
	Révisionnistes + Nationalistes	336,302	4.15%

Popular vote
Moderate Republicans			40.25%
Radicals			15.96%
Ralliés			11.16%
Monarchists			10.95%
Socialists			9.76%
Radical-Socialists			7.77%
Nationalists			4.15%

Parliamentary Groups

Affiliation	Party		Seats
Left
		Socialists	57
Centre-Left
		Radicaux socialistes (Radicaux socialistes)	74
		Gauche radicale (Moderate Radicals)	104
		Progressistes (Moderate Republicans)	254
Right
		Monarchists	44
		Ralliés	32
		Others	10
		Nationalists	6
		Revisionists	4
Total			585

References

1. Gildea, R., Children of the Revolution, London, 2008, p. 275

Sources

• Roi et President