1912–13 Chinese National Assembly election

none 1912 Chinese National Assembly elections China 1912 parliamentary no 1909 Chinese parliamentary election 1909 1918 Chinese National Assembly election 1918 All 870 seats in the National Assembly(274 seats in the Senate and 596 seats in the House of Representatives) December 1912 − February 1913 Senate House 180x180px Song Jiaoren Kuomintang 132 269 180x180px Li Yuanhong Republican Party (China) 46 120 180x180px Zhang Binglin Unity Party (China) 6 18 180x180px Tang Hualong Democratic Party (1912) 8 16 Premier Zhao Bingjun Nonpartisan candidate Zhao Bingjun Nonpartisan candidate The 1912 Chinese National Assembly elections, held in December 1912 to February 1913, were the first nation-wide elections for the newly founded National Assembly of the Republic of China, which was a bicameral parliament with a Senate and a House of Representatives. This assembly was called by the Chinese the Old Congress (laoguohui) to differentiate it from the future assemblies.November 2024 Overview The election was indirect, as voters chose some 30,000 electors who chose about 2,000 members of the provincial assemblies and 596 members of the House of Representatives. The election was conducted relatively fairly, although some claim that this system had caused instances of bribery, duress, and violence. The 274-member Senate were elected by the provincial assemblies who themselves had been elected in 1909 during the Qing dynasty. Adult males over the age of 21 who were educated or owned property and paid taxes, and who could prove a two-year residency in a particular county, could vote.Cambridge History of China, Vol 12, Part 1: 222-223 An estimated 40 million or 4-6% of China's population were registered for the election.Ernest P. Young Cambridge History of China, Vol 12, Part 1 222 "Politics in the Aftermath of Revolution: The Era of Yuan Shih-K'ai, 1912-16" This was an increase from the size of the electorate in the 1909 Chinese provincial elections, when less than 1% of the population was enfranchised. The president had to pick the 64 members representing Tibet, Outer Mongolia, and Overseas Chinese due to the fact that the government in Beijing did not exercise enough control over these populations to organize elections. Despite the compromises, this election had the participation of over 300 civic groups and was the first and most competitive nationwide election in Chinese history. The Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) led by Song Jiaoren won a plurality in both houses of the assembly, and Song was expected to become the Premier of China. After losing the election, the Republican, Unity, and Democratic (formerly Constitutionalist) parties merged into the Progressive Party with Liang Qichao as leader. The Progressive Party became the main rival to the Nationalists. Song was assassinated on 20 March 1913 in Shanghai. When the assembly convened for the first time on April 8 amid heated debate over the assassination, the Nationalists were divided over solutions on how to deal with Yuan Shikai, the provisional president, who was suspected of ordering the assassination. On 12 July, Sun Yat-sen led the Nationalists to launch an armed rebellion against Yuan, historically known as the Second Revolution. However, the Second Revolution was defeated within two months by Yuan's forces. The National Assembly members were compromised by threats and bribes from Yuan. He confined the National Assembly (Congress) and forced them to elect him as the formal president in the October presidential election. Soon, Yuan outlawed the Nationalists and expelled them from the assembly. Without a quorum, the National Assembly could not convene. Consequently, Yuan disbanded this assembly (congress) on 10 January 1914. In other words, this body existed for only nine months, yet it left an enduring legacy to China as the first democratic experiment. Voter and seat distributions 300px|thumb|The inaugural meeting of the National Assembly in April 1913. Electoral districtPopulationVoters%House SeatsSenate SeatsZhili 25,932,133 9,195,757 35.46 46 10Fengtian 12,133,303 896,408 7.39 16 10Jilin 5,580,030 108,835 1.95 10 10Heilongjiang 2,028,776 288,234 14.21 10 10Shandong 30,987,853 1,368,184 4.42 33 10Henan 35,900,038 1,688,632 4.70 32 10Shanxi 12,269,386 2,588,068 21.10 28 10Jiangsu 32,282,781 1,939,386 6.01 40 10Anhui 16,229,052 1,450,901 8.94 27 10Jiangxi 23,987,317 4,986,883 20.79 35 10Fujian 15,849,296 1,283,348 8.10 24 10Zhejiang 21,440,151 1,184,629 5.53 38 10Hubei 25,590,308 5,670,370 22.16 26 10Hunan 27,390,230 1,277,414 4.66 27 10Shaanxi 10,271,096 1,395,622 2.98 21 10Gansu 4,989,907 148,526 2.98 14 10Xinjiang 2,000,000 9,506 0.48 10 10Sichuan 48,129,596 1,729,368 3.59 35 10Guangdong 28,010,560 1,966,516 7.02 30 10Guangxi 8,746,747 2,731,717 31.23 19 10Yunnan 9,466,965 233,398 2.47 22 10Guizhou 9,665,227 792,290 8.20 13 10Inner Mongolia — — — 27 27Tibet Area — — — 10 10Qinghai — — — 3 3Oversea Chinese — — — 0 6Central Society — — — 0 8Total406,880,486 42,933,992 10.50 596 274 Results 200px200px Senate House Kuomintang 132 269 Republican Party 46 120 Unity Party 6 18 Democratic Party 8 16 Multi-party candidates 38 147 Independents 44 26 274 596 Presidential elections in National Assembly An important function of the National Assembly under the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China was to elect the President and Vice President of China. The following elections were held by the 1st National Assembly of Beiyang government. +Presidential elections by the National Assembly elected in 1912–13OrderPresidential ElectionPresidentVice PresidentNote1st1913 Chinese presidential electionYuan ShikaiLi YuanhongFirst formal presidential election in Chinese history1916 Chinese vice-presidential election—Feng GuozhangTo replace the vacancy of Li Yuanhong as he sworn in as the President after Yuan Shikai's death.3rd1923 Chinese presidential electionCao Kun—Resumed session after First Zhili–Fengtian War The 2nd Presidential election was held by the 2nd National Assembly elected in 1918 See also 1909 Chinese provincial elections History of the Republic of China National Assembly (Beiyang government) History of the Kuomintang Progressive Party (China) History of Beijing References 2 Bibliography Denis Twitchett Denis C. Twitchett Fairbank John K John K. Fairbank The Cambridge History of China 12, Part 1 1983 Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-23541-9 Cambridge History Vol 12 Part 1 Category:1912 in China China Category:Legislative elections in the Republic of China (1912–1949) Category:December 1912 in Asia Category:January 1913 in Asia Category:1913 in China Category:1913 elections in Asia