1831 French legislative election

Legislative elections were held in France on 5 July 1831.

1831 French legislative election

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 First partySecond partyThird party
 
LeaderCasimir PérierPierre-Antoine BerryerJacques Laffitte[1]
PartyLiberalsLegitimistsRepublicans and leftists
Seats won28210473

Prime Minister before election

Jacques Laffitte

Elected Prime Minister

Casimir Périer

Electoral system

Following the July Revolution which brought King Louis-Philippe to power, new election laws were passed on 19 April 1831. Members were elected by first-past-the-post voting in 459 single-member constituencies.

Although suffrage remained limited, the electorate was nearly doubled. Voters now needed to be at least twenty-five years old and to pay 200 francs in income taxes, down from 300 francs before the revolution. Professionals and public servants could vote if they paid at least 100 francs in taxes. The "double voting" system that allowed the wealthiest voters to vote twice was abolished. Candidates had to be at least thirty years old and pay at least 500 francs in taxes.[2]

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Liberals282
Legitimists104
Republicans and dynastic left73
Total459
Total votes125,090
Registered voters/turnout166,58375.09
Source: Frémy[3]

Note that these groupings are not formal party affiliations. Instead, they reflect groupings made by later historians based on the political opinions of the deputies. Historians do not always agree on how to draw these lines: Thomas Beck gives a similar number for the pro-government representatives (273), but assigns far more of the opposition to the left (170), leaving only seven legitimists.[4]

References