1968 Belgian general election
First party
Second party
Third party
Leader
Gaston Eyskens
Léo Collard
Omer Vanaudenhove
Party
Christian Social
Socialist
Freedom and Progress
Leader since
Candidate for PM
1959
1961
Last election
77 seats, 34.45%
64 seats, 28.28%
48 seats, 21.61%
Seats won
69
59
47
Seat change
8
5
1
Popular vote
1,643,785
1,403,107
1,080,894
Percentage
31.75%
27.10%
20.87%
Swing
2.65%
1.18%
0.74%
Fourth party
Fifth party
Sixth party
Leader
Frans Van der Elst
Albert Peeters
Party
VU
FDF
RW
Leader since
1955
1967
Last election
12 seats, 6.69%
3 seats, 1.33%
New
Seats won
20
6
6
Seat change
8
3
New
Popular vote
506,697
154,023
151,421
Percentage
9.79%
2.92%
2.92%
Swing
3.10%
1.59%
New
Chamber seat distribution by constituency.
General elections were held in Belgium on 31 March 1968.[1] The Christian Social Party remained the largest party.[2] Voter turnout was 90.0%.[3] Elections for the nine provincial councils were also held.
The snap elections were called after the government, a coalition of the Christian Social Party and the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress led by Christian Democrat Paul Vanden Boeynants , fell due to the Leuven Crisis .
The linguistic crisis would trigger the split of the dominant Christian Social Party into a Flemish and French-speaking party. The two other main parties would follow suit. The crisis also caused the rise of small linguistic, federalist parties, such as the People's Union on the Flemish side and the Democratic Front of the Francophones and Walloon Rally on the French-speaking side.
Results [ edit ]
Chamber of Deputies [ edit ]
Party Votes % Seats +/– Christian Social Party 1,643,785 31.75 69 –8 Belgian Socialist Party 1,403,107 27.10 59 –5 Party for Freedom and Progress 1,080,894 20.87 47 –1 People's Union 506,697 9.79 20 +8 Communist Party of Belgium 170,625 3.30 5 –1 Democratic Front of the Francophones 154,023 2.97 6 +3 Walloon Rally 151,421 2.92 6 New Red Lions 46,065 0.89 0 New Walloon Workers 3,474 0.07 0 New Pro-Peking Communists 3,119 0.06 0 New ULS 2,694 0.05 0 New Return to Liège 1,933 0.04 0 New Flemish Social Movement 1,922 0.04 0 New Kaganovemus 1,634 0.03 0 0 Dierenbes 1,608 0.03 0 New Walloon Communists 964 0.02 0 New Z. Kleur 723 0.01 0 New Flemish Communists 702 0.01 0 New FU Pop 572 0.01 0 New Trotskyists 289 0.01 0 New SH 198 0.00 0 New RJB 161 0.00 0 New Independents 1,342 0.03 0 0 Total 5,177,952 100.00 212 0 Valid votes 5,177,952 93.22 Invalid/blank votes 376,700 6.78 Total votes 5,554,652 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 6,170,167 90.02 Source: Belgian Elections
Party Votes % Seats +/– Belgian Socialist Party 1,410,617 27.60 33 +2 Christian Social Party 1,398,065 27.35 29 –15 Party for Freedom and Progress 1,073,860 21.01 22 –1 People's Union 513,342 10.04 9 +5 FDF –RW 293,433 5.74 5 +4 Communist Party of Belgium 180,130 3.52 2 –1 Vanden Boeynants Kartel 183,171 3.58 6 New Red Lions 45,097 0.88 0 New Walloon Workers 3,777 0.07 0 New Pro-Peking Communists 3,452 0.07 0 New Kaganovemus 2,694 0.05 0 0 ULS 2,364 0.05 0 New Flemish Communists 801 0.02 0 New Walloon Communists 520 0.01 0 New FU Pop 495 0.01 0 New Total 5,111,818 100.00 106 0 Valid votes 5,111,818 92.05 Invalid/blank votes 441,379 7.95 Total votes 5,553,197 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 6,170,167 90.00 Source: Belgian Elections , Statistical Yearbook
References [ edit ]
^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook , p289 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
^ Nohlen & Stöver, pp309-311
^ Nohlen & Stöver, p291