1877 French legislative election

The 1877 general election to the Chamber of Deputies of the Third Republic was held on 14 and 28 October 1877, during the Seize Mai crisis.

1877 French legislative election

14–28 October 1877
All 533 seats to the Chamber of Deputies 267 seats needed for a majority
Registered	9,948,449
Turnout	8,087,323 (81.3%)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Jules Dufaure Georges-Eugène Haussmann Albert de Broglie Party Republicans Parties Republican Union Republican Left Bonapartist Monarchists Parties Orléanists Legitimists Leader's seat Not presented (Senator unremovable) Corse Not presented (Senator for Eure) Seats won 313 104 55 Seat change 80 28 9 Popular vote 4,860,481 1,617,464 857,256 Percentage 60.0% 20.0% 10.6% Swing 13.6% 5.7% 1.4%
Prime Minister before election Gaëtan de Rochebouët Independent Elected Prime Minister Jules Dufaure Republican Left

President Patrice de MacMahon dissolved the Chamber of Deputies elected in 1876, in the hope of a conservative and royalist victory. Although the monarchists lost the election, they increased their seat total over 1876; the Republicans lost 80 seats, but retained a majority.

This election proved a serious setback for those hoping for a restoration of the monarchy, such as MacMahon. In the Senate elections of January 1879, the monarchists also lost control of the Senate. MacMahon resigned, and the Republican Jules Grévy was elected president by the National Assembly.[1]

Along with the 1997 election, it is a rare case of an election in which the sitting President's party lost a general election which he had called.