1857 Belgian general election

none Belgium parliamentary 1856 Belgian general election 1856 1859 Belgian general election 1859 All 108 seats in the Chamber of Representatives 55 1857 12 10 yes Charlesrogier.jpg Charles Rogier Liberal Party (Belgium) 45 seats 70 25 39,280 54.72% Pierre_De_Decker.jpg Pierre de Decker Catholic 63 seats 38 25 32,503 45.28% FFFF00 Government Government after election de Decker Catholic-Liberal Rogier II Liberal Party (Belgium) General elections were held in Belgium on 10 December 1857,Codebook Constituency-level Elections Archive, 2003Sternberger, D, Vogel, B & Nohlen, D (1969) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band I: Europa - Erster Halbband, p105 the first full general elections since 1848. The elections were called by royal order of 12 November 1857, dissolving the Chamber of Representatives that had convened in a new session only two days earlier. Going into the elections, Liberals held a majority in the Senate and the Catholics in the Chamber of Representatives. The unionist (Catholic–liberal) De Decker government resigned and a liberal government led by Charles Rogier took over shortly before the elections were called. In the elections for the Chamber of Representatives the result was a victory for the Liberal Party, which won 70 of the 108 seats. The Liberal Party now had a majority in both chambers of parliament. Voter turnout was 79%, although only 90,543 men (2% of the country's population) were eligible to vote. Campaign Twelve of the 108 seats were uncontested, of which the Liberals won three and the Catholics nine. Results File:Belgian Chamber 1857.svg Liberal Party 39280 70 +25 Catholics 32503 38 –25 yellow 0 71783 90543 Mackie & Rose,Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan, p46 Sternberger et al. References Category:1850s elections in Belgium General Belgium Belgium