Dutch general election, 1922
Encyclopedia
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament
was held in the Netherlands
on July 5, 1922. It was the first election under universal suffrage, which became reality after the acceptance of a proposal by Marchant in 1919 that gave women full voting rights. An amendment which raised the amount of votes required to win a seat in the House of Representatives significantly reduced the amount of political parties that were able to obtain a seat.
The confessional parties benefited the most from this amendment, with all three of them winning more seats. The RKSB went from 30 to 32 seats, the ARP from 13 to 16 seats, and the CHU went from 7 to 11 seats. On the rightwing side, the Christian Democratic party and the Christian Social Party both lost their sole seats, disappearing from the House, while a newcomer, the SGP
, managed to obtain one seat. The SGP, an orthodox Protestant party established in 1918, was opposed to the cooperation of the protestant ARP and CHU with the Catholics.
The SDAP lost two seats, going from 22 to 20 seats. The left-wing splinter parties also suffered losses, and went from four to two seats.
The Liberals, who in 1921 were united in 'the Freedom League
', sank away further. Of the 15 seats they managed to retain only ten. However, a new Liberal Party
led by the 85-year-old Samuel van Houten
, obtained 1 seat in the House. Van Houten himself did not take the seat, which was instead occupied by his representative, Lizzy van Dorp
.
The liberal Democrats maintained, against most expectations, their five seats.
Of the remaining splinter parties, only the Peasants' League was able to survive, actually rising from one to two seats. Their new leader was 'Farmer Braat', whose clumsy performance earned him little respect.
Noticably, almost all major parties had a woman elected. The number of female representatives increased from one to seven. Only the ARP principally excluded women from the House of Representatives.
After a relatively short formation, the second Cabinet-Ruijs de Beerenbrouck formed, with largely the same composition as the first Cabinet-Ruijs.
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
was held in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on July 5, 1922. It was the first election under universal suffrage, which became reality after the acceptance of a proposal by Marchant in 1919 that gave women full voting rights. An amendment which raised the amount of votes required to win a seat in the House of Representatives significantly reduced the amount of political parties that were able to obtain a seat.
The confessional parties benefited the most from this amendment, with all three of them winning more seats. The RKSB went from 30 to 32 seats, the ARP from 13 to 16 seats, and the CHU went from 7 to 11 seats. On the rightwing side, the Christian Democratic party and the Christian Social Party both lost their sole seats, disappearing from the House, while a newcomer, the SGP
Reformed Political Party
The Reformed Political Party is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. The term Reformed is not a reference to political reform, but is a synonym for Calvinist. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands in its current form, and for its entire existence has been in opposition...
, managed to obtain one seat. The SGP, an orthodox Protestant party established in 1918, was opposed to the cooperation of the protestant ARP and CHU with the Catholics.
The SDAP lost two seats, going from 22 to 20 seats. The left-wing splinter parties also suffered losses, and went from four to two seats.
The Liberals, who in 1921 were united in 'the Freedom League
Liberal State Party
The Liberal State Party, "the Freedom League" , was a Dutch conservative liberal political party from 1921 to 1948...
', sank away further. Of the 15 seats they managed to retain only ten. However, a new Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Netherlands)
The Liberal Party was a Dutch conservative liberal political party. The LP played only a marginal role in Dutch politics.-Party history:...
led by the 85-year-old Samuel van Houten
Samuel van Houten
Samuel van Houten was a Dutch liberal politician.Van Houten was born in Groningen. He studied law at the University of Groningen, obtaining a degree in 1859...
, obtained 1 seat in the House. Van Houten himself did not take the seat, which was instead occupied by his representative, Lizzy van Dorp
Lizzy van Dorp
Elisabeth Carolina "Lizzy" van Dorp was a Dutch lawyer, economist, politician and feminist.Van Dorp studied law at Leiden University, obtaining a degree in 1901 and a promotion in 1903...
.
The liberal Democrats maintained, against most expectations, their five seats.
Of the remaining splinter parties, only the Peasants' League was able to survive, actually rising from one to two seats. Their new leader was 'Farmer Braat', whose clumsy performance earned him little respect.
Noticably, almost all major parties had a woman elected. The number of female representatives increased from one to seven. Only the ARP principally excluded women from the House of Representatives.
After a relatively short formation, the second Cabinet-Ruijs de Beerenbrouck formed, with largely the same composition as the first Cabinet-Ruijs.
Parties
- Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij)
- Agrarians' League (Plattelandersbond)
- Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie)
- Communist Party of Holland (Communistische Partij Holland), continuation of Social Democratic Party
- Freedom League, merger of Liberal Union, League of Free Liberals, Economical League, Neutral Party and Middle Class Party
- Freethinking Democratic League (Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond)
- Liberal Party (Liberale Partij)
- Political Reformed Party (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij), offshoot of the Anti Revolutionary Party
- Roman Catholic League of Electoral Associations (Roomsch-Katholieke Bond van Kiesvereenigingen)
- Social Democratic Workers' Party (Sociaal-Democratische Arbeiderspartij)