Dutch general election, 1918
Encyclopedia
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament
was held in the Netherlands
on July 3, 1918. It was the first election in which universal male suffrage was applied, and the first in which a system of proportional representation
was used. Previously, voters voted per district according to a First-past-the-post voting system, but now voters voted on candidates on the party-lists.
The elections caused major changes in the political make-up of the Dutch house of representatives. The confessional ('rightwing') parties, the RKSP, the ARP and the CHU, together obtained 50 seats. Along with two christian splinter-parties (The Christian-Democratic Party and the Christian-Social Party) they were able to form a majority of 52 seats.
The Liberals lost the most seats. While in 1917, two of the liberal parties, the Liberal Union and the League of Free-Liberals, had won 31 seats, they were now reduced to 10 seats. Together with three smaller liberal parties, the liberals now held 15 seats in the House of representatives.
On the leftwing, the SDAP won seven seats, climbing from 15 to 22 seats. This gain was smaller than hoped for however. Furthermore, the SDAP was joined by 4 small parties of 1 seat each on the political left. The SDAP also had the sole woman elected in the general elections of 1918, Suze Groeneweg.
Two Single-issue parties
, one for petty officer
s, and one for farmers, took up the last two seats.
The large fragmentation of the House was due to the new electoral system with a low threshold. The smallest party, the VDW, managed to win a seat with only 6,830 votes.
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
was held in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on July 3, 1918. It was the first election in which universal male suffrage was applied, and the first in which a system of proportional representation
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
was used. Previously, voters voted per district according to a First-past-the-post voting system, but now voters voted on candidates on the party-lists.
The elections caused major changes in the political make-up of the Dutch house of representatives. The confessional ('rightwing') parties, the RKSP, the ARP and the CHU, together obtained 50 seats. Along with two christian splinter-parties (The Christian-Democratic Party and the Christian-Social Party) they were able to form a majority of 52 seats.
The Liberals lost the most seats. While in 1917, two of the liberal parties, the Liberal Union and the League of Free-Liberals, had won 31 seats, they were now reduced to 10 seats. Together with three smaller liberal parties, the liberals now held 15 seats in the House of representatives.
On the leftwing, the SDAP won seven seats, climbing from 15 to 22 seats. This gain was smaller than hoped for however. Furthermore, the SDAP was joined by 4 small parties of 1 seat each on the political left. The SDAP also had the sole woman elected in the general elections of 1918, Suze Groeneweg.
Two Single-issue parties
Single-issue politics
Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea.-Political expression:...
, one for petty officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
s, and one for farmers, took up the last two seats.
The large fragmentation of the House was due to the new electoral system with a low threshold. The smallest party, the VDW, managed to win a seat with only 6,830 votes.
Parties
- Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij)
- Agrarians' League (Plattelandersbond)
- Christian Democratic Party (Christen-Democratische Partij)
- Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie)
- Christian Social Party (Christelijk Sociale Partij)
- Economical League (Economische Bond), offshoot of the Freethinking Democratic League
- Freethinking Democratic League (Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond)
- League of Christian Socialists (Bond van Christen-Socialisten)
- League of Free Liberals (Bond van Vrije Liberalen)
- League for Democratization of the Army (Verbond Democratisering Weermacht)
- Liberal Union (Liberale Unie)
- Middle Class Party (Middenstandspartij)
- Neutral Party (Neutrale Partij)
- Roman Catholic League of Electoral Associations (Roomsch-Katholieke Bond van Kiesvereenigingen)
- Social Democratic Party (Sociaal-Democratische Partij), offshoot of the Social Democratic Workers' Party
- Social Democratic Workers' Party (Sociaal-Democratische Arbeiderspartij)
- Socialist Party (Socialistische Partij)