1830 Belgian general election

Elections to the temporary National Congress were held in Belgium on 3 November 1830, following the declaration of independence from the Netherlands.[1] The elections were held using a modified form of the Dutch system, as defined by the Orders of the Provisional Government of 10 October and 12 October 1830. 200 members were elected by plurality in constituencies of varying sizes, and suffrage was restricted to taxpaying men over the age of 25, with a higher tax threshold in urban areas than rural ones.[1] Although clergy and academics were exempt from the restrictions, only around 1% of the country's population was eligible to vote.[1]

Electoral system

The order of 12 October 1830 distributed the 200 seats among the 44 administrative districts of the nine Belgian provinces. Along with these deputies, an equal number of substitutes were elected in each district.

ProvinceDistrictDeputies
Antwerp (18)Antwerp8
Mechelen5
Turnhout5
Limburg (17)Hasselt5
Maastricht7
Roermond5
East Flanders (35)Aalst6
Oudenaarde5
Gent12
Eeklo2
Dendermonde4
Sint-Niklaas6
West Flanders (28)Bruges5
Roeselare3
Tielt3
Kortrijk7
Ypres4
Veurne2
Diksmuide2
Ostend2
South Brabant (27)Leuven7
Brussels14
Nivelles6
Hainaut (30)Tournai8
Ath4
Charleroi5
Thuin3
Mons6
Soignies4
Liège (19)Huy3
Waremme2
Liège9
Verviers5
Luxembourg (16)Arlon2
Luxembourg3
Diekirch2
Grevenmacher2
Marche2
Bastogne1
Neufchâteau2
Virton2
Namur (10)Namur5
Dinant3
Philippeville2
Total200

Aftermath

The Constitution adopted in February 1831 instituted a bicameral parliament, the first elections for which were held a year later.

See also

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p282 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
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