1886 Belgian general election

Partial general elections were held in Belgium on 8 June 1886. In the elections for the Chamber of Representatives the result was a victory for the Catholic Party, which won 98 of the 138 seats.

1886 Belgian general election

8 June 1886 (1886-06-08)
69 of the 138 seats in the Chamber of Representatives 70 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Auguste Beernaert Party Catholic Liberal Leader since Candidate for PM Seats before 86 seats 52 seats Seats won 32 37 Seats after 98 40 Seat change 12 12 Popular vote 17,979 18,965 Percentage 48.67% 51.33%
Government before election Beernaert Catholic Government after election Beernaert Catholic

Under the alternating system, elections were only held in four out of the nine provinces: Hainaut, Limburg, Liège and East Flanders.

The Catholics continued their gains, after the 1884 elections that gave them a victory over the Liberals. With the defeat of the Liberals by the Catholics in the eight-member arrondissement of Ghent, the Catholics now had all "Flemish" seats. Catholics also gained both seats of the arrondissement of Waremme and two out of seven in the arrondissement of Charleroi.

Results

Chamber of Representatives

Party		Votes	%	Seats
				Won	Total	+/–
	Liberal Party	18,965	51.33	37	40	–12
	Catholic Party	17,979	48.67	32	98	+12
Total		36,944	100.00	69	138	0
Total votes		36,944	–
Registered voters/turnout		57,962	63.74
Source: Mackie & Rose, Sternberger et al.