1951 French legislative election

none June 2020 France parliamentary November 1946 French legislative election November 1946 1956 French legislative election 1956 All 625 seats in the French National Assembly 313 17 June 1951 80.19% ( 2.09pp) 130x130px Jacques Soustelle, Bestanddeelnr 909-5719 (cropped).jpg Jacques Soustelle Rally of the French People – 107 107 4,125,492 21.57% Mollet Harcourt 1948.jpg Guy Mollet French Section of the Workers' International 90 seats 94 4 2,744,842 14.35% Maurice Thorez en 1948.jpg Maurice Thorez French Communist Party 166 seats 97 69 5,056,605 26.43% National Centre of Independents and Peasants 95 130 none National Centre of Independents and Peasants 70 seats 87 17 2,656,995 13.89% Georges_Bidault.jpg Georges Bidault Popular Republican Movement 158 seats 82 76 2,369,788 12.39% Rally of Republican Lefts 95 130 Jean-Paul David Rally of Republican Lefts 55 seats 77 22 1,887,583 9.87% Élections législatives françaises de 1951.svg Results by department Prime Minister Henri Queuille Radical Party (France) René Pleven Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance Legislative elections were held in France on 17 June 1951 to elect the second National Assembly of the Fourth Republic. After the Second World War, the three parties which took a major part in the French Resistance to the German occupation dominated the political scene and government: the French Communist Party (PCF), the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO, socialist party) and the Christian democratic Popular Republican Movement (MRP). The forces associated with the Third Republic and the 1940 disaster (the Radical Party and the classical Right) were considered as archaic and were the losers of the post-war elections. Nevertheless, after the proclamation of the Fourth Republic, the 1947 strikes and the beginning of the Cold War, the Three-parties alliance split. In spring 1947, the Communist ministers were dismissed. At the same time, Charles de Gaulle, symbol of the Resistance, founded his Rally of the French People (RPF) which campaigned for constitutional reform and criticized the "parties' regime" as a rebirth of the defunct Third Republic. The Socialists and the Christian-Democrats allied with the Rally of the Republican Lefts (composed of the Radicals and the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance, UDSR) and right-wing groupings to form the Third Force. This coalition defended the regime against the opposition of the Communists on the one hand, and the Gaullists on the other. But this diverse alliance did not lead to a stable executive power. Indeed, its components advocated opposing policies on the economy, the finances of the state, secularism (laïcité) and denominational schools. This discontent was beneficial to the Communists and the Gaullists. In March 1951 Henri Queuille (Radical Party) became head of the cabinet. His Vice-Prime Ministers were Georges Bidault (MRP), Guy Mollet (SFIO) and René Pleven (UDSR). In order to limit the number of seats won by the Communists and the Gaullists, an electoral reform was passed. The proportional representation system was conserved but if an alliance of parties obtained more than 50% of votes in a given constituency, it would win all the seats by joining their votes together (apparentment). The promoters of the electoral reform knew the Communists and the Gaullists were so different from allies contrary to the parties of the Third Force. They hoped the alliance of the pro-government parties would reach the 50% threshold in a maximum of constituencies, whereas the PCF and the RPF would be eliminated of representation. Whilst the PCF and the RPF were the two largest parties in terms of the popular vote, the Third Force remained the parliamentary majority. Due to the electoral system, the Communist Party, which won more votes than any other party, was only third in terms of the number of seats won. In the winning coalition, the SFIO and the MRP lost support whereas the Radicals and the classical Right made gains. However, due to continuing internal divisions (about the denominational schools, the budget and the colonial question) the problem of the stability of the executive was not resolved. In August 1951, René Pleven replaced Henri Queuille as Prime Minister and the Socialists left the cabinet. Results French Communist Party 5056605 97 –69 Rally of the French People 4125492 107 +102 French Section of the Workers' International 2744842 94 –40 Conservatives (CNIP–UNIR–RGRIF) 2656995 87 +14 Miscellaneous right Popular Republican Movement 2369788 82 –57 Rally of Republican Lefts 1887583 77 New Others 125739 0 Incomplete ballots 161960 0 541591 24530523 Nohlen & StöverDieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, pp693–704 9783832956097 See also 1951 French legislative election in Algeria 1951 French legislative election in Cameroon 1951 French legislative election in Chad–Ubangi-Shari 1951 French legislative election in French Sudan 1951 French legislative election in Guinea 1951 French legislative election in Ivory Coast 1951 French legislative election in Senegal References Category:Legislative elections in France Legislative