French legislative election, 1898

French legislative election, 1898
French Third Republic
8–22 May 1898

All 585 seats to the Chamber of Deputies
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Jules Méline Henri Brisson Jacques Piou
Party Union of the Lefts Radical Republicans Union of the Rights
Leader's seat Vosges Seine Haute-Garonne
Seats won 254 178 96
Seat change Decrease 63 Increase 40 Increase 3
Popular vote 3,262,725 1,923,079 1,497,976
Percentage 45.30% 25.08% 19.51%
Swing Decrease 2.75 Increase 2.18 Decrease 1.19

Composition of the Chamber of Deputies

Prime Minister before election

Jules Méline
Union of the Lefts

Elected Prime Minister

Henri Brisson
Radical Republican

The 1898 general election was held on 8 and 22 May 1898.

The government of Jules Méline, who had been premier since April 1896, had relied on the support of Conservatives, contrary to the convention of republican concentration, according to which no government should rely on the support of monarchists and Bonapartists in the Chamber of Deputies if it could not rely on a republican majority.

The election was dominated by the Dreyfus Affair, and saw several notable supporters of Dreyfus (Joseph Reinach, Jean Jaurès, Jules Guesde) lose their seats. Twenty-two professed anti-Semites were also elected, including Édouard Drumont. Overall, however, the election saw the defeat of Méline and his supporters: the Radicals were victorious, allowing Henri Brisson to form a republican government.[1]

Results

Popular Vote

Party Votes % Vote
  Progressistes (Moderate Republicans) 3,262,725 40.25%
  Gauche radicale (Moderate Radicals) 1,293,507 15.96%
  Ralliés 905,110 11.16%
  Monarchists 887,759 10.95%
  Socialists 791,148 9.76%
  Radicaux socialistes 629,572 7.77%
  Révisionnistes + Nationalistes 336,302 4.15%
Popular vote
Moderate Republicans
 
40.25%
Radicals
 
15.96%
Ralliés
 
11.16%
Monarchists
 
10.95%
Socialists
 
9.76%
Radical-Socialists
 
7.77%
Nationalists
 
4.15%

Parliamentary Groups

Affiliation Party Seats
Left
  Socialists 57
Centre-Left
  Radicaux socialistes (Radicaux socialistes) 74
  Gauche radicale (Moderate Radicals) 104
  Progressistes (Moderate Republicans) 254
Right
  Monarchists 44
  Ralliés 32
  Others 10
  Nationalists 6
  Revisionists 4
Total 585

References

  1. Gildea, R., Children of the Revolution, London, 2008, p. 275

Sources


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