1932 Irish general election

Election to the 7th Dáil July 2021 July 2026 1932 Irish general election Ireland parliamentary no September 1927 Irish general election Sep 1927 6th Dáil 1933 Irish general election 1933 153 seats in Dáil ÉireannCC Including Michael Hayes (CnaG), returned automatically for the National University of Ireland as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, under Art. 21 of the Constitution, as amended by the Constitution (Amendment No. 2) Act 1927, and s. 2 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927.1927 6 Constitution (Amendment No. 2) Act 1927 19 March 1927 1 Re-election at general election of outgoing Chairman of Dáil Éireann1927 21 Electoral (Amendment) Act 1927 22 May 1927 2 Re-election of outgoing Ceann Comhairle7th Dáil 1932: National University of Ireland https://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1932&cons=189 ElectionsIreland.org 1 July 2022 77 16 February 1932 7th Dáil 76.5% 7.5 pp De Valera LCCN2016822004 (headshot).jpg 135 120 160 0 5 Éamon de Valera 26 March 1926 Fianna Fáil Clare 57 seats, 35.2% 72 15 566,498 44.5% 9.3 pp W. T. Cosgrave, circa 1930 (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 W. T. Cosgrave April 1923 Cumann na nGaedheal Cork Borough 62 seats, 38.6% 57 5 449,506 35.2% 3.4 pp Tom J. O'Connell, circa 1930s.jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Thomas O'Connell 1927 Labour Party (Ireland) Mayo South(defeated) 13 seats, 9.1% 7 6 98,286 7.7% 1.4 pp Farmers' Farmers' Party (Ireland) 6 seats, 6.4% 3 3 22,899 1.8% 4.6 pp 300px Election results and first-preference votes in each constituency 300px Number of seats gained by each party in each constituency President of the Executive Council W. T. Cosgrave Cumann na nGaedheal President of the Executive Council after election Éamon de Valera Fianna Fáil The 1932 Irish general election to the 7th Dáil was held on Tuesday, 16 February, following the dissolution of the 6th Dáil on 29 January by Governor-General James McNeill on the advice of President of the Executive Council W. T. Cosgrave. The general election took place in 30 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Irish Free State for 153 seats in Dáil Éireann. It was the first election held in the Irish Free State since the Statute of Westminster 1931 removed almost all of the authority of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to legislate for the Dominions, including the Irish Free State—effectively granting the Free State internationally recognised independence. The 7th Dáil met at Leinster House on 9 March to nominate the President and Executive Council of the Irish Free State for appointment by the Governor-General. This resulted in the first change of government in the Irish Free State. Cumann na nGaedheal, which had been the governing party since 1922, was succeeded by Fianna Fáil, which became the largest party in the chamber and formed a government led by Éamon de Valera, with the support of the Labour Party. Fianna Fáil would be the largest party in Dáil Éireann at every general election thereafter until 2011. Campaign The election campaign between the two ideologically opposed parties was reasonably peaceful. However, during the campaign, the government prosecuted de Valera's newly established newspaper, The Irish Press. The editor was also brought before a military tribunal. This was seen by many as a major blunder and a serious infringement on freedom of speech. The "red scare" tactics also seemed to backfire on the government. Two days before the election, Patrick Reynolds, a Cumann na nGaedheal TD was assassinated in Ballinamore. A garda detective was murdered in the same incident. The poll in Leitrim–Sligo was postponed and Reynolds' widow Mary was elected.https://www.irishtimes.com/news/former-td-was-synonymous-with-fine-gael-in-leitrim-1.1128781 Former TD was 'synonymous with Fine Gael in Leitrim' The Irish Times 5 March 2018 6 March 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180306083251/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/former-td-was-synonymous-with-fine-gael-in-leitrim-1.1128781 live Cumann na nGaedheal March 2022 left horizontal 150 450 Cumann na nGaedheal anti-Saor Éire poster, circa 1932.png Cumann na nGaedheal anti-communist poster, circa 1932.jpg Shadow of the Gunman poster.jpg center Various Cumann na nGaedheal posters from the campaign. Each poster accuses Fianna Fáil of being linked to radical elements. centre Cumann na nGaedheal fought the general election on its record of providing ten years of stable government. The party claimed to have brought stability following the chaos of the Irish Civil War and to have provided honest government. However, by 1932 this provision of solid government was wearing thin, particularly since the party had no solution to the collapse in trade which followed the depression of the early 1930s. Instead of offering new policies, the party believed that its record in government would be enough to retain power. Cumann na nGaedheal also played the "red scare" tactic, describing Fianna Fáil as communists and likening Éamon de Valera to Joseph Stalin. Fianna Fáil In comparison to Cumann na nGaedheal, Fianna Fáil had an elaborate election programme, designed to appeal to a wide section of the electorate. It played down its republicanism to avoid alarm, but provided very popular social and economic policies. The party promised to free IRA prisoners, abolish the Oath of allegiance and reduce the powers of the Governor-General and the Senate. It also promised the introduction of protectionist policies, industrial development, self-sufficiency and improvements in housing and social security benefits.Paul Bew Ellen Hazelkorn Henry Patterson The Dynamics of Irish Politics London Lawrence & Wishart 1989 42Pater Mair Peter Mair Liam Weeks The Party System Politics in the Republic of Ireland John Coakley Michael Gallagher 4th New York Routledge 2004 140 Result 7th 16 February 1932 http://electionsireland.org/results/general/07dail.cfm 7th Dáil 1932 General Election ElectionsIreland.org 8 April 2009 4 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090604142221/http://electionsireland.org/results/general/07dail.cfm livehttp://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/gdala.htm Dáil elections since 1918 ARK Northern Ireland 13 April 2009 27 November 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201127122828/https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/gdala.htm liveDieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen Philip Stöver 2010 Elections in Europe: A data handbook 1009–1017 Nomos 978-3-8329-5609-7 center|360px Fianna Fáil Éamon de Valera 72 +15 47.1 566,498 44.5 +9.3 Cumann na nGaedheal W. T. Cosgrave 57CC −4 37.3 449,506 35.3 −3.4 Labour Party (Ireland) Thomas J. O'Connell 7 −6 4.6 98,286 7.7 −1.4 Farmers' Party (Ireland) 3 −3 1.9 22,899 1.8 −4.6 Irish Worker League James Larkin 0 0 0 3,860 0.3 –0.8 Revolutionary Workers' Groups 0 New 0 1,087 0.1 – Independent politician (Ireland) N/A 14 +2 9.1 131,890 10.4 +2.5 20,804 153 0 1,294,830 1,695,175 76.5% |} Voting summary First preference vote #ddd 600px 350px Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil 44.47 Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal 35.28 Labour Labour Party (Ireland) 7.71 Farmers' Farmers' Party (Ireland) 1.80 Others #777777 0.40 Independent Independent politician (Ireland) 10.35 Seats summary Dáil seats #ddd 600px 350px Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil 47.06 Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal 37.25 Labour Labour Party (Ireland) 4.58 Farmers' Farmers' Party (Ireland) 1.96 Others #777777 0.40 Independent Independent politician (Ireland) 9.15 Government formation Although Cumann na nGaedheal only lost five seats, the minor parties were decimated. Most of their support bled to Fianna Fáil, leaving it five seats short of an overall majority. Despite this, Fianna Fáil looked like the only party that could realistically form a government. Discussions began immediately after the election and an agreement was reached in which the Labour Party would support Fianna Fáil. The party now had the necessary votes to form a minority government. After the results were announced, newly elected Fianna Fáil TD Seán Moylan proclaimed that the election was a victory of "the owners of the donkey and cart over the pony and trap class".Diarmuid Ferriter Diarmaid Ferriter 28 January 2022 Diarmaid Ferriter: Fianna Fáil now bereft of its catch-all credentials https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/diarmaid-ferriter-fianna-f%C3%A1il-now-bereft-of-its-catch-all-credentials-1.4787285 The Irish Times 29 January 2022 subscription On 9 March 1932 the first change of government in the Irish Free State took place. Many in the country and abroad wondered if the true test of democracy would be passed. The men who won a civil war only ten years before now had to hand over power to their opponents. Similar to when the party first entered the Dáil in 1927, a number of Fianna Fáil TDs arrived at Leinster House with guns in their pockets. It later emerged that Eoin O'Duffy, Commissioner of the ga Garda Síochána no, had urged a military coup. However, W. T. Cosgrave was determined to adhere to the principles of democracy that he had practised while in government. Likewise, the army, Garda and the civil service all accepted the change of government, despite the fact that they would now be taking orders from men who had been their enemies less than ten years previously. After a brief and uneventful meeting in the Dáil chamber, Éamon de Valera was nominated as President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. He was then formally appointed by the Governor-General, James McNeill, who had come to Leinster House to make the appointment rather than require de Valera travel to the Viceregal Lodge, formerly a symbol of British rule. He formed the 6th Executive Council of the Irish Free State. Fianna Fáil, a party led by many of the men most closely identified with opposing the existence of the state ten years earlier, were now the party of government. The 1932 general election was the beginning of a sixteen-year period in government for Fianna Fáil. Membership changes First time TDs Brian Brady Gerald Bartley William Broderick William Browne Patrick Burke Thomas Dowdall Francis Gormley James Kelly Raphael Keyes John Kiersey Conor Maguire Sydney Minch Edward Moane Patrick Murphy Fred McDonogh Eugene O'Brien Patrick O'Hara James Reidy Robert Ryan Outgoing TDs November 2025 William Aird (Deceased) Edmond Carey (Lost seat) Michael Connolly (Lost seat) Peter de Loughry (Retired) William Kent (Lost seat) Michael Óg McFadden (Lost seat) Arthur Matthews (Lost seat) Thomas Mullins (Retired) Martin McDonogh (Lost seat) Thomas J. O'Connell (Lost seat) Patrick O'Dowd (Lost seat) Patrick Reynolds (Murdered during campaign) Notes References General election, 1932 1932 Category:7th Dáil Category:February 1932 in Europe