1974 Belgian general election

General elections were held in Belgium on 10 March 1974.[1] The Belgian Socialist Party emerged as the largest faction in the Chamber of Representatives with 59 of the 212 seats. Voter turnout was 90.3%.[2] Elections were also held for the nine provincial councils, as well as for the Council of the German Cultural Community for the first time.

1974 Belgian general election

← 1971 10 March 1974 1977 →

212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives
  First party Second party Third party
  Leo Tindemans
Leader Edmond Leburton Leo Tindemans Frans Grootjans
Party Socialist CVP Open Vld
Leader since Candidate for PM Candidate for PM 1973
Last election 25 seats, 10.40%[a] 40 seats, 18.32% 16 seats, 7.42%
Seats won 59 50 30
Seat change Increase 34 Increase 10 Increase 14
Popular vote 1,401,725 1,222,646 798,818
Percentage 26.66% 23.25% 15.19%
Swing Increase 16.26% Increase 4.91% Increase 7.77%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Frans Van der Elst Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb André Lagasse
Party VU cdH DéFI
Leader since 1955 1972 1972
Last election 21 seats, 11.11% 15 seats, 6.20% 12 seats, 5.43%
Seats won 22 22 14
Seat change Increase 1 Increase 7 Increase 2
Popular vote 536,287 478,209 301,303
Percentage 10.20% 9.09% 5.73%
Swing Decrease 0.91% Increase 2.89% Increase 0.30%

Results by constituency for the Chamber of Representatives

Government before election

Leburton II
BSP/PSB-CVP-PSC-PVV-PRL

Government after election

Tindemans I
CVP-PSC-PVV-PRL

Results

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Chamber of Representatives

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Belgian Socialist Party1,314,79625.0059+2
Christian People's Party1,222,64623.2550+10
Party for Freedom and Progress798,81815.1930+4
People's Union536,28710.2022+1
Christian Social Party478,2099.0922+7
FDFPDLP301,3035.7314New
Walloon Rally269,4555.1211−1
Communist Party of Belgium107,4812.042New
BSPRed Lions86,9291.650New
Democratic and Progressive Union58,5271.112+2
All Power to the Workers19,7940.380New
United Feminist Party18,5110.350New
Party for the Middle Classes and Independents9,1840.170New
Party of German-speaking Belgians8,7000.170New
Walloon Liberal Party6,8460.130New
FDP4,7290.090New
Democratic and Progressive Union–New Democracy3,6230.070New
Rex Fr2,7640.050New
Return to Liège1,8100.030New
Kaganovemus1,6780.0300
SAP1,4450.030New
Diependale1,2290.020New
A749790.020New
PRS9050.020New
Zwartberg6650.010New
Trotskyists6450.010New
Belgian Radical Union3890.010New
PUR1840.000New
Total5,258,531100.002120
Valid votes5,258,53192.07
Invalid/blank votes453,1087.93
Total votes5,711,639100.00
Registered voters/turnout6,323,02790.33
Source: Belgian Elections

Senate

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Belgian Socialist Party1,301,72225.1127New
Christian People's Party1,219,81123.5327New
Party for Freedom and Progress755,69414.5816+1
FDFRWPDLP589,55311.3713New
People's Union545,21510.5210New
Christian Social Party430,5128.3010New
Communist Party of Belgium115,0072.2210
BSPRed Lions82,9591.602+2
Democratic and Progressive Union60,4001.1600
Party for Freedom and Progress (Wallonia)21,7820.420New
All Power to the Workers16,7440.320New
Party of German-speaking Belgians15,6240.300New
United Feminist Party11,9100.230New
Party for the Middle Classes and Independents5,9180.110New
Iependael2,7840.050New
Zwartberg2,1490.040New
Kaganovemus1,9030.0400
PMO–Belgian Radical Union1,0780.020New
A749420.020New
Walloon Liberal Party5970.010New
PUR1560.000New
Other parties2,2550.040
Total5,184,715100.001060
Valid votes5,184,71590.77
Invalid/blank votes527,0149.23
Total votes5,711,729100.00
Registered voters/turnout6,323,02790.33
Source: Belgian Elections

Council of the German Cultural Community

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In this election, the new Council of the German Cultural Community (Rat der deutschen Kulturgemeinschaft) was directly elected for the first time; members of the council had been appointed a year earlier. The council is the precursor to the Parliament of the German-speaking Community.

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Christian Social Party46.9012–1
Party of German-speaking Belgians25.406+3
Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt14.904–2
Belgian Socialist Party12.1030
Other parties15.100
Total250
Source: PDG

References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p289 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ Nohlen & Stöver, p291