Landslide victory
Encyclopedia
In politics
, a landslide victory (or landslide) is the victory of a candidate or political party
by an overwhelming margin in an election
. Just what margin is needed for a victory to be "in [or by] a landslide" has not been precisely defined, and has varied from time to time.
's win under Kevin Rudd
as a ruddslide. By historical standards though, the victory was not unusually large. Some notable election results in Australia have been:
Australian elections are characterised by few changes in government — since 1949 there have been only five elections where a new party has won government. When a new party is elected, however, it is generally by a landslide.
Some notable state election landslides include:
there was never a landslide victory in presidential elections since the redemocratization in the late 1980s. The closest to a landslide victory in presidential elections happened when Fernando Henrique Cardoso
was both elected and re-elected in the first round with 53% of the valid votes against about 30% of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
. Considering the second round, Lula had a landslide victory both in 2002
and 2006
, achieving more than 60% of the valid votes against 39% of his contestants.
Prior to the Estado Novo
regime, there were some landslide victories, but it should be noted that electoral corruption was widespread and voting was restricted to literate men. Those landslide vistories were:
Two of the three national referendums were marked with landslide victories. In 1963, Presidentialism was restored with 80% of the votes, while in 2005, almost 64% voted against the prohibition of firearms and ammunition commercialization.
Having won more than 50% on the first round, this took away the need to bring a second round of voting.
These were the only times a party has won a majority of the vote in an Irish General Election.
has held large majorities in the 1960s until the 1970s when it had to govern with coalitions to command workable majorities.
formerly used solely first-past-the-post voting until 1993
, when it switched to the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system in 1996. Therefore, landslides have not happened since then as no single party has won a majority of seats under proportional representation.
However, one instance of a landslide victory took place in 1990
, when the National Party
led by Jim Bolger
defeated the Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand
led by Mike Moore, winning 67 of 97 seats in the Parliament of New Zealand
.
From 1935 to 1946, the Philippines was under de facto one-party rule by the Nacionalista Party
; as such all presidential elections were landslides; Manuel L. Quezon
won with 68% of the vote in 1935 and an even bigger margin of 82% on 1941
. Sergio Osmeña
won even larger margins in the vice presidential elections: 80% in 1935 and 85% in 1942.
From 1946 to 1972, the Philippines was under a two-party system, but landslides were rarer except for these instances:
In 1972, martial law was declared and political opposition was suppressed. It was lifted in 1981, but other major parties boycotted that year's election.
Since 1987, the country is under a multi-party system; with the winner always winning via a plurality leading to smaller margins of victory. However, two landslides are recognized:
Taiwan (Republic of China
Both were under parallel voting
system.
(the first time a majority of adult males could vote) are:
Labour
's general election victory
in 2001 with an overall majority of 167 was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media. Though the Government did score a very high majority, public interest in the election was not excited and, unlike most of the landslide results listed above, there was little change from the previous election and no change of governing party.
Landslides are relatively common in British electoral history, and this is partly as a result of the first-past-the-post
electoral system. Relatively small differences in numbers of popular votes cast be amplified by the eventual result. For instance, Labour achieved a 66-seat majority in the 2005 election
despite securing only 35% of the vote. Conversely, parties can poll very highly and achieve disproportionately low numbers of MPs.
, and, at present, all states but Nebraska and Maine hold a "winner take all" vote, in which the winner of the popular vote in a state wins all electoral votes the state is eligible to cast (Nebraska and Maine give two electoral votes to the winner of the state and one electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district within the state.).
For this reason, many presidential victories appear to be huge landslide victories when examining the electoral vote, but much less so when examining the popular vote; for example, in the 1980 election
, Ronald Reagan
won 90.9% of the electoral vote but 50.7% of the popular vote to Jimmy Carter
's 41.0%.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, a landslide victory (or landslide) is the victory of a candidate or political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
by an overwhelming margin in an election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
. Just what margin is needed for a victory to be "in [or by] a landslide" has not been precisely defined, and has varied from time to time.
Australia
After the 2007 federal election some commentators referred to the Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
's win under Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
as a ruddslide. By historical standards though, the victory was not unusually large. Some notable election results in Australia have been:
- 1917Australian federal election, 1917Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 May 1917. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
- Nationalist PartyNationalist Party of AustraliaThe Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
won 53 of the 75 seats in the House of RepresentativesAustralian House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years.... - 1925Australian federal election, 1925Federal elections were held in Australia on 14 November 1925. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 22 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
- NationalistNationalist Party of AustraliaThe Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
-CountryNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
CoalitionCoalitionA coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
won 51 of the 75 seats in the House of Representatives - 1929Australian federal election, 1929Federal elections were held in Australia on 12 October 1929. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, with no Senate seats up for election, as a result of Billy Hughes and other rebel backbenchers crossing the floor over industrial relations legislation, depriving the...
- Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
won 46 of the 75 seats in the House of Representatives - 1943Australian federal election, 1943Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
- Australian Labor Party won 49 of the 74 seats in the House of Representatives - 1949Australian federal election, 1949Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
- LiberalLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
-CountryNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Coalition won 74 of the 121 seats in the House of Representatives - 1958Australian federal election, 1958Federal elections were held in Australia on 22 November 1958. All 122 seats in the House of Representatives, and 32 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election...
- Liberal-Country Coalition won 77 of the 121 seats in the House of Representatives - 1966Australian federal election, 1966Federal elections were held in Australia on 26 November 1966. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt with coalition partner the Country Party led by John McEwen defeated the...
- Liberal-Country Coalition won 82 of the 124 seats in the House of Representatives - 1975Australian federal election, 1975Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election following a double dissolution of both Houses....
- LiberalLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
-NationalNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Coalition won 91 of the 127 seats in the House of Representatives - 1983Australian federal election, 1983Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...
- Australian Labor Party won 75 of the 125 seats in the House of Representatives - 1996 - Liberal-National Coalition won 94 of the 148 seats in the House of Representatives
- The 1931 electionAustralian federal election, 1931Federal elections were held in Australia on 19 December 1931. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
stands as the greatest loss of seats for a government - 32 seats in a 74-seat parliament
Australian elections are characterised by few changes in government — since 1949 there have been only five elections where a new party has won government. When a new party is elected, however, it is generally by a landslide.
Some notable state election landslides include:
- 1911 Western Australian state electionWestern Australian state election, 1911Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 3 October 1911 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Opposition Leader John Scaddan, defeated the conservative Ministerialist government led by Premier Frank Wilson...
- The Labor party, previously in opposition, won 34 of the 50 seats in the state Legislative Assembly. - 1933 Western Australian state electionWestern Australian state election, 1933Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 8 April 1933 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The one-term Nationalist-Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir James Mitchell, was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Philip Collier.The election...
- The Labor party, previously in opposition, won 30 of the 50 seats in the state Legislative Assembly, reducing the previous party of government, the Nationalists, to minor party status. - 1974 Queensland state election - Country-Liberal Coalition won 69 of the 82 seats in the state parliament (the Coalition's win, while overwhelming, was exaggerated by the BjelkemanderBjelkemanderThe Bjelkemander was the term given to a system of malapportionment in the Australian State of Queensland in the 1970s and 1980s. Under the system, electorates were allocated to zones such as rural or metropolitan and electoral boundaries drawn so that rural electorates had about half as many...
in operation in the state's electoral divisions at the time) - 1981 New South Wales state electionNew South Wales state election, 1981Elections were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 19 September 1981. The result was a second "Wranslide": a landslide victory for the Australian Labor Party under Neville Wran, in which the government increased its already sizeable majority.The Liberals suffered the double...
- Australian Labor Party won 69 of the 99 seats in the state Legislative Assembly. - 1993 South Australian state election - Liberal Party, previously in opposition, won 37 of the 47 seats in the state House of Assembly.
- 2001 Queensland state election - Australian Labor Party won 66 of the 89 seats in the state Legislative Assembly.
- 2002 Victorian state election - Australian Labor Party won 62 of the 88 seats in the state Legislative Assembly.
- 2011 New South Wales state electionNew South Wales state election, 2011Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
- Liberal/National coalitionCoalition (Australia)The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
won 69 of the 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly
Brazil
Considering that Brazil has a two-round systemTwo-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
there was never a landslide victory in presidential elections since the redemocratization in the late 1980s. The closest to a landslide victory in presidential elections happened when Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
was both elected and re-elected in the first round with 53% of the valid votes against about 30% of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
. Considering the second round, Lula had a landslide victory both in 2002
Brazilian general election, 2002
Lula's Worker's Party won the most seats in the Parliamentary elections, though failed to gain an outright majority as they won only 91 of the 513 seats.-Results:...
and 2006
Brazilian general election, 2006
The 2006 election were marked by the now extinct "verticalization rule", which forced parties to form coalitions on a state level with the same parties with which they were allied nationwide. This rule was introduced at the 2002 general elections by the Supreme Electoral Court.All Chamber of...
, achieving more than 60% of the valid votes against 39% of his contestants.
Prior to the Estado Novo
Estado Novo (Brazil)
Vargas Era is the period in the history of Brazil that lasted from 1930 to 1945, when the country was under the leadership of Getúlio Dornelles Vargas....
regime, there were some landslide victories, but it should be noted that electoral corruption was widespread and voting was restricted to literate men. Those landslide vistories were:
- 1894Brazilian presidential election, 1894The Brazilian presidential election of 1894 was held on March 1, 1894. The president was elected by popular vote for the first time.-Results:-See also:*President of Brazil*Politics of Brazil*List of political parties in Brazil...
- Prudente de MoraisPrudente de MoraisPrudente José de Morais Barros was the third president of Brazil . His presidency lasted from November 15, 1894 until November 15, 1898...
had 88.4% of the votes against 11.3% of Afonso Pena - 1898Brazilian presidential election, 1898The Brazilian presidential election of 1898 was held on March 1, 1898. The president was elected by popular vote.-Results:-See also:*President of Brazil*Politics of Brazil*List of political parties in Brazil...
- Campos Sales had 98.5% of the votes against 8.5% of Lauro Sodré - 1902Brazilian presidential election, 1902The Brazilian presidential election of 1902 was held on March 1, 1902. The president was elected by popular vote.-Results:-See also:*President of Brazil*Politics of Brazil*List of political parties in Brazil...
- Rodrigues Alves had 93.3% of the votes against 6.7% of Quintino BocaiuvaQuintino BocaiúvaQuintino Bocaiúva was a politician and writer from Brazil.-References:... - 1906Brazilian presidential election, 1906The Brazilian presidential election of 1906 was held on March 1, 1906. The president was elected by popular vote. Afonso Pena was elected unopposed after Lauro Sodré dropped out of the race.-Results:-See also:*President of Brazil*Politics of Brazil...
- Afonso Pena had 98% against 2% of Lauro Sodré - 1910Brazilian presidential election, 1910The Brazilian presidential election of 1910 was held on March 1, 1910. The president was elected by popular vote. Hermes da Fonseca, a military man, was elected President of Brazil in a close and active campaign against the liberal thinker Rui Barbosa. Barbosa's defeat was probably due to electoral...
- Hermes da Fonseca had 65% against 35% of Ruy BarbosaRuy BarbosaRuy Barbosa de Oliveira was a Brazilian writer, jurist, and politician.Born in Salvador da Bahia, he was a federal representative, senator, Minister of Finance and diplomat. For his distinguished participation in the Hague Peace Conference of 1907, he earned the nickname "Eagle of the Hague"... - 1914Brazilian presidential election, 1914The Brazilian presidential election of 1914 was held on March 1, 1914. The president was elected by popular vote.-Results:-See also:*President of Brazil*Politics of Brazil*List of political parties in Brazil...
- Venceslau Brás had 91.7% of votes against 8.3% of Ruy Barbosa and other non-registered candidates - 1918Brazilian presidential election, 1918The Brazilian presidential election of 1918 was held on March 1, 1918. The president was elected by popular vote.-Results:Rodrigues Alves never took office since he died of the Spanish flu in 1919...
- Rodrigues Alves had 99% of the votes against 1% of other 130 non-registered candidates - 1919Brazilian presidential election, 1919The Brazilian presidential election of 1919 was held on April 12, 1919. The president was elected by popular vote.-Results:-See also:*President of Brazil*Politics of Brazil*List of political parties in Brazil...
- Epitácio PessoaEpitácio PessoaEpitácio Lindolfo da Silva Pessoa was a Brazilian politician and jurist, and president of the republic between 1919 and 1922, when Rodrigues Alves could not take office due to illness after being elected in 1918...
had 71.1% of the votes against 28.9% of Ruy Barbosa - 1926Brazilian presidential election, 1926The Brazilian presidential election of 1926 was held on March 1, 1926. The president was elected by popular vote.-Results:-See also:*President of Brazil*Politics of Brazil*List of political parties in Brazil...
- Washington Luís had 99% of the votes against 1% of Joaquim Francisco de Assis Brasil.
Two of the three national referendums were marked with landslide victories. In 1963, Presidentialism was restored with 80% of the votes, while in 2005, almost 64% voted against the prohibition of firearms and ammunition commercialization.
Belgium
- In federal elections in 2010, the New Flemish Alliance won 32% votes cast in the Senate election, almost double of the second party, Christian Democratic and Flemish party.
Canada
- Prince Edward Island general election, 1935Prince Edward Island general election, 1935The Prince Edward Island general election, 1935 was held in the Canadian Province of Prince Edward Island. The Liberal party swept the board by winning every seat in every constituency. Liberal Leader Walter Maxfield Lea became Premier of Prince Edward Island for the second time...
, in which the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island under Walter Lea won every seat in the legislature, the first time in the history of the British EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
that that happened. - Canadian federal election, 1958Canadian federal election, 1958The Canadian federal election of 1958 was the 24th general election in Canada's history. It was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 24th Parliament of Canada on March 31, 1958, just nine months after the 23rd election...
, in which the Progressive Conservative Party of CanadaProgressive Conservative Party of CanadaThe Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
won 208 seats out of 265. - Canadian federal election, 1984Canadian federal election, 1984The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
, in which the Progressive Conservatives won 211 seats out of 282. - New Brunswick general election, 1987New Brunswick general election, 1987The 31st New Brunswick general election was held on October 13, 1987, to elect 58 members to the 51st New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada...
, in which the Liberal Party of New Brunswick won every seat in the legislature. - Prince Edward Island general election, 1993Prince Edward Island general election, 1993The 1993 Prince Edward Island General Election was the last to use the dual-member ridings. The election was won by the PEI Liberal party, led by new Premier Catherine Callbeck. The PC party took only a single seat, one of three times in the province's history that the Official Opposition consisted...
, in which the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island under Catherine CallbeckCatherine CallbeckCatherine Sophia Callbeck is a Canadian politician and a current member of the Senate of Canada.She was the 28th Premier of Prince Edward Island from 1993 to 1996, the second female provincial premier in Canadian history, and the first to win a general election Catherine Sophia Callbeck (born July...
won 31 of 32 seats in the legislature. - Prince Edward Island general election, 2000Prince Edward Island general election, 2000The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island conducted a general election on April 17, 2000 to elect the 27 members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island....
in which the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island under Pat BinnsPat BinnsPatrick George Binns , is a Canadian diplomat who was named Ambassador to Ireland on August 30, 2007.Binns has a long history of public service, most notably being the 30th Premier of Prince Edward Island, holding office from 1996 to 2007, during which time he was the leader of the Prince Edward...
won 26 of 27 seats in the legislature. - British Columbia general election, 2001British Columbia general election, 2001The British Columbia general election of 2001 was the 37th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 18, 2001, and held on May 16, 2001...
, in which 77 of 79 seats were won by the British Columbia Liberal PartyBritish Columbia Liberal PartyThe British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
. - Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2007Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2007The 47th Newfoundland and Labrador general election was held on October 9, 2007 to elect members of the 46th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the 18th general election for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.-Campaign:...
, in which Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and LabradorProgressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and LabradorFor pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...
won 44 of 48 seats. - Quebec general election, 1973Quebec general election, 1973The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, and the Union Nationale .The Liberals won a...
, in which the Quebec Liberal Party under Robert BourassaRobert BourassaJean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early...
won 102 out of 110 seats in the Quebec National Assembly. - Saskatchewan general election, 2011Saskatchewan general election, 2011The 27th Saskatchewan general election was held on November 7, 2011, to elect 58 members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan . The election was called on October 10 by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, on the advice of Premier Brad Wall...
, in which the Saskatchewan PartySaskatchewan PartyThe Saskatchewan Party is a conservative liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members and supporters who sought to remove the Saskatchewan New Democratic...
under Brad WallBrad WallBradley John "Brad" Wall, MLA is a Canadian politician who has been the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan since November 21, 2007....
won 49 out of 58 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
Colombia
- Juan Manuel SantosJuan Manuel SantosJuan Manuel Santos Calderón is a Colombian politician who has been the President of Colombia since 7 August 2010. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance, and Minister of National Defense.-Career:...
won a landslide victory in the second round of the Colombian presidential election, 2010Colombian presidential election, 2010The Colombian presidential election of 2010 took place under a two-round system, with an initial vote held on May 30 and a second poll held three weeks later on June 20. A referendum proposal that would have allowed incumbent President Álvaro Uribe the opportunity to run for a third term was...
.
France
- French legislative election, 1919French legislative election, 1919The 1919 legislative election, the first election held after World War I, was held on 16 and 30 November 1919.Proportional representation by department replaced the Two-round system by arrondissements in use since 1889...
, in which the "Bloc National", an alliance of Right and Centrist parties seeking to continue the "Sacred Union" of parties which saw France through the First World War, won 433 MPs seats out of a total of 613, a majority of 70%; because of its Nationalist convictions and of the colour of the French Army uniforms at the time, this legislature was nicknamed "Chambre bleu horizon". - French legislative election, 1968French legislative election, 1968- National Assembly by Parliamentary Group:...
, in which an alliance of Right and Centrist parties united in their support of President Charles de Gaulle following the massive street demonstrations of May and June 1968, won 52% of the votes and 394 MPs seats out of a total of 485, a majority of 81%. - French legislative election, 1993French legislative election, 1993French legislative elections took place on 21 and 28 March 1993 to elect the 10th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.Since 1988, President François Mitterrand and his Socialist cabinets had relied on a relative parliamentary majority. Without the support of the Communists, Prime minister...
, in which the "Union For France" (alliance of the Rally for the RepublicRally for the RepublicThe Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
and Union for French DemocracyUnion for French DemocracyThe Union for French Democracy was a French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's...
) won 485 of 577 seats in the National Assembly. - French presidential election, 2002French presidential election, 2002The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates on 5 May 2002. This presidential contest attracted a greater than usual amount of international attention because of Le Pen's unexpected appearance in...
, in which incumbent Jacques ChiracJacques ChiracJacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
was reelected in a runoff election against far-right Jean-Marie Le PenJean-Marie Le PenJean-Marie Le Pen is a French far right-wing and nationalist politician who is founder and former president of the Front National party. Le Pen has run for the French presidency five times, most notably in 2002, when in a surprise upset he came second, polling more votes in the first round than...
with more than 82% of all votes. - French regional elections, 2004French regional elections, 2004Regional elections in were held in France on 21 and 28 March 2004. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 regions which, although they do not have legislative powers, manage sizeable budgets...
, in which the Socialist PartySocialist Party (France)The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
won 20 of 22 regions in metropolitan France. This feat was repeated in the French regional elections, 2010French regional elections, 2010Regional elections were held in France on 14 and 21 March 2010. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 régions, which, though they do not have legislative autonomy, manage sizable budgets....
, where the Socialist Party won with an even greater margin, winning in all but 1 of the regions.
Germany
- German federal election, 1957German federal election, 1957The 3rd German federal election, 1957, was conducted on September 15, 1957, to elect members to the Bundestag of West Germany.-Issues and Campaign:...
, in which the conservative alliance between Christian Democratic UnionChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
and Christian Social Union of BavariaChristian Social Union of BavariaThe Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
won the absolute majority of the popular vote.
Hong Kong
- The 1991 electionHong Kong legislative election, 1991The 1991 Hong Kong legislative election for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong ; the election of the members of functional constituencies was held on 12 September 1995 and the election of geographical constituency seats was held on 15 September. It was the first ever direct election of...
: A coalition of the United Democrats of Hong KongUnited Democrats of Hong KongThe United Democrats of Hong Kong was a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong. By 1995 it was merged with the Meeting Point to form the Democratic Party...
and the Meeting PointMeeting PointThe Meeting Point was a political organisation formed for the discussion for the Sino-British negotiation on the question of Hong Kong prospect in 1983. It later on joined the first direct election of the geographical constituency seats in 1991 legislative election and won a historical landslide...
, together with other smaller parties, groups and independents in the pro-democracy campPro-democracy campPro-democracy camp, pan-democracy camp or pan-democrats refer to the politicians and social activists in Hong Kong who support increased democracy and may work together in areas of common interest or by not fielding candidates against one another in elections.Democratic activists are usually...
, getting 17 of the 18 geographical constituency seats. - The 1995 election: The Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (Hong Kong)The Democratic Party is a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong. It was established on 2 October 1994. The party is currently the second largest party in the Legislative Council, headed by Chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and, following the November 2008 merger with the Frontier, had around 745...
, together with other smaller parties, groups and independents in the pro-democracy campPro-democracy campPro-democracy camp, pan-democracy camp or pan-democrats refer to the politicians and social activists in Hong Kong who support increased democracy and may work together in areas of common interest or by not fielding candidates against one another in elections.Democratic activists are usually...
, getting 17 of the 20 geographical constituency seats.
Hungary
- Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010A parliamentary election was held in Hungary on 11 and 25 April 2010 to choose MPs for the National Assembly. They were the sixth free elections since the end of communist era. The 386 members of parliament were elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies...
: The largest opposition party Fidesz won the election with 52,7% of the vote and 263 of 386 seats, gaining a two-thirds majority.
Indonesia
- Indonesian presidential election, 2009Indonesian presidential election, 2009Presidential elections were held in Indonesia on 8 July 2009. The elections returned a president and vice president for the 2009–2014 period. A run-off election was scheduled to be held on 8 September if needed, but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won more than 60% of the vote in the first...
: Incumbent Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
won 60.80% of votes in the first round, while his closest rival Megawati SukarnoputriMegawati SukarnoputriIn this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
won only 26.79% of votes, a margin of 34.01%.
Having won more than 50% on the first round, this took away the need to bring a second round of voting.
Ireland
- Fianna FáilFianna FáilFianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
won landslide victories in the 1938 and 1977 General Elections- Irish general election, 1938Irish general election, 1938The Irish general election of 1938 was held on 17 June 1938. The 138 newly elected members of the 10th Dáil assembled on 30 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
: Won 76 of 137 seats in the Dáil ÉireannDáil ÉireannDáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
on 51.6% of first preferences - Irish general election, 1977Irish general election, 1977The Irish general election of 1977 was held on 16 June 1977 and is regarded as a pivotal point in twentieth century Irish politics. The general election took place in 42 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 148 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann. The number of...
: Won 84 of 147 seats in the Dáil ÉireannDáil ÉireannDáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
on 50.6% of first preferences
- Irish general election, 1938
These were the only times a party has won a majority of the vote in an Irish General Election.
Japan
The once-dominant Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
has held large majorities in the 1960s until the 1970s when it had to govern with coalitions to command workable majorities.
- Japanese general election, 2005: The ruling Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal Democratic Party (Japan)The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
under prime minister Junichiro KoizumiJunichiro Koizumiis a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
won 296 of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives of JapanHouse of Representatives of JapanThe is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,... - Japanese general election, 2009Japanese general election, 2009A general election in Japan was held on August 30, 2009, for all 480 seats of the House of Representatives of Japan, the lower house of the Diet of Japan....
: Opposition Democratic Party of JapanDemocratic Party of JapanThe is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
defeated the ruling Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal Democratic Party (Japan)The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
, winning 308 of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives of JapanHouse of Representatives of JapanThe is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
, ending over five decades of near-continuous conservative rule.
New Zealand
New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
formerly used solely first-past-the-post voting until 1993
New Zealand general election, 1993
The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing back towards the Labour Party. The new Alliance and New...
, when it switched to the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system in 1996. Therefore, landslides have not happened since then as no single party has won a majority of seats under proportional representation.
However, one instance of a landslide victory took place in 1990
New Zealand general election, 1990
The 1990 New Zealand general election was held on 27 October to determine the composition of the 43rd New Zealand parliament. The governing Labour Party was defeated, ending its controversial two terms in office...
, when the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
led by Jim Bolger
Jim Bolger
James Brendan "Jim" Bolger, ONZ was the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was elected on the promise of delivering a "Decent Society" following the previous Labour government's economic reforms, known as Rogernomics...
defeated the Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand
Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand
The Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 26 July 1984 to 2 November 1990. It enacted major social and economic reforms, including reformation of the tax system. The economic reforms were known as Rogernomics after Finance Minister Roger Douglas...
led by Mike Moore, winning 67 of 97 seats in the Parliament of New Zealand
Parliament of New Zealand
The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...
.
Philippines
In the Philippines, the positions of president and vice president are directly elected separately, without runoff election.From 1935 to 1946, the Philippines was under de facto one-party rule by the Nacionalista Party
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907...
; as such all presidential elections were landslides; Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...
won with 68% of the vote in 1935 and an even bigger margin of 82% on 1941
Philippine presidential election, 1941
Presidential, legislative and local elections were held on November 11, 1941 in the Philippines. Incumbent President Manuel Luis Quezon won an unprecedented second partial term as President of the Philippines via a landslide. His running mate, Vice President Sergio Osmeña also won via landslide...
. Sergio Osmeña
Sergio Osmeña
Sergio Osmeña y Suico was a Filipino politician who served as the 4th President of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was Vice President under Manuel L. Quezon, and rose to the presidency upon Quezon's death in 1944, being the oldest Philippine president to hold office at age 65...
won even larger margins in the vice presidential elections: 80% in 1935 and 85% in 1942.
From 1946 to 1972, the Philippines was under a two-party system, but landslides were rarer except for these instances:
- Philippine presidential election, 1953Philippine presidential election, 1953Presidential, legislative and local elections were held on November 10, 1953 in the Philippines. Incumbent President Elpidio Quirino lost his opportunity to get a second full term as President of the Philippines to former Defense Secretary Ramon Magsaysay. His running mate, Senator Jose Yulo lost...
: Ramon MagsaysayRamon MagsaysayRamón del Fierro Magsaysay was the third President of the Republic of the Philippines from December 30, 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1957. He was elected President under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.-Early life:Ramon F...
won with 68% of the vote.- Vice presidential election: Magsaysay's running mate Carlos P. GarciaCarlos P. GarciaCarlos Polistico García was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist and guerrilla leader...
won 62% of the vote.
- Vice presidential election: Magsaysay's running mate Carlos P. Garcia
- Philippine presidential election, 1969Philippine presidential election, 1969Presidential, legislative and local elections were held on November 11, 1969 in the Philippines. Incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos won an unprecedented second full term as President of the Philippines. Marcos was the last president in the entire electoral history who ran and won for a second term...
: Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
won with 61% of the vote to be reelected as president.
In 1972, martial law was declared and political opposition was suppressed. It was lifted in 1981, but other major parties boycotted that year's election.
- Philippine presidential election, 1981: Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
won with 88% of the vote with token opposition. This is the largest margin to date.
Since 1987, the country is under a multi-party system; with the winner always winning via a plurality leading to smaller margins of victory. However, two landslides are recognized:
- Philippine presidential election, 1998Philippine presidential election, 1998Presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 11, 1998. In the presidential election, Vice President Joseph Estrada won a six-year term as President by a landslide victory. In the vice-presidential race, Senator Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won a...
: Joseph EstradaJoseph EstradaJoseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
won with 40% of the vote, with a margin of victory of 6,453,812 votes (24%) against Jose de Venecia who got 16% of the vote.- Vice presidential election: Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
won with almost 50% of the vote, against Estrada's running mate Edgardo AngaraEdgardo AngaraEdgardo Javier Angara is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1993-1995. He is currently serving his fourth term in the Senate which ends in 2013.-Early life and career:...
's 22%.
- Vice presidential election: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
- Philippine presidential election, 2010Philippine presidential election, 2010-Timeline:The COMELEC-mandated election period for this election was from January 10 to June 9, 2010.-2008:*August 26 - Then Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando announces bid for presidency....
: Benigno Aquino IIIBenigno Aquino IIIBenigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III , also known as Noynoy Aquino or PNoy, is a Filipino politician who has been the 15th and current President of the Philippines since June 2010....
won with 42% of the vote, with a margin of victory of 5,720,841 votes (16%) against Joseph Estrada who got 26% of the vote.
Poland
- In the runoff of the Polish presidential election, 1990Polish presidential election, 1990The 1990 Presidential elections were held in Poland on Sunday, November 25 , and Sunday, December 9 . These were the first direct presidential elections in the history of Poland. Before World War II, presidents were elected by the Sejm, but the Sejm was abolished in 1952. The leader of the...
Lech WałęsaLech WałęsaLech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
won 74.25% of votes against 25.75% of Stan Tymiński. This remains, to date, the biggest victory; - During Polish presidential election, 2000Polish presidential election, 2000The 2000 Polish presidential election took place in Poland on 8 October 2000. Incumbent President Aleksander Kwaśniewski was easily re-elected in the first round after winning more than 50% of the votes.-Background:...
incumbentIncumbentThe incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Aleksander KwaśniewskiAleksander KwasniewskiAleksander Kwaśniewski is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule he was active in the Socialist Union of Polish Students and was the Minister for Sport in the communist government in the 1980s...
won 53.90%, avoiding (the only time in history), a second round. His closest rival, Andrzej OlechowskiAndrzej OlechowskiAndrzej Marian Olechowski is a Polish politician. He was one of the co-founders of conservative liberal party Civic Platform in 2001 with Maciej Płażyński and Donald Tusk...
, won just 17.30%. In Polish politics this election, because of quick victory and large margin, is also considered a landslide; - During Polish parliamentary election, 2001Polish parliamentary election, 2001Polish parliamentary election in 2001 to Sejm and Senate of Poland were held on the 23rd September. In Sejm elections, 46.29% of citizens cast their votes, 96.01% of those were counted as valid...
Democratic Left Alliance-Labor UnionDemocratic Left Alliance-Labor UnionDemocratic Left Alliance-Labor Union is an electoral committee and a coalition of two Polish centre-left political parties: Democratic Left Alliance and Labour Union. At the national level, the alliance arose at the time of the 2001 parliamentary elections and continued through the 2004 elections...
won 47.2% (216 SejmSejmThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
seats) against closest opposition party, Civic PlatformCivic PlatformCivic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
(14.1% and 65 seats). This is, to date, the biggest victory margin and is also considered a landslide (In Senate, DLA-LU won 75 of 100 seats).
Russia
- The 2004 presidential electionRussian presidential election, 2004Presidential elections were held in Russia on 14 March 2004. Incumbent Vladimir Putin was seeking a second full four-year term. He was re-elected with 71.31% of the vote.-Sergey Glazyev:...
was won by incumbent president Vladimir PutinVladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
with 71.3% of the vote, with closest runner-up Nikolay KharitonovNikolay KharitonovNikolay Mikhailovich Kharitonov is a Russian politician from the Novosibirsk region. He is a leading member of the Agrarian Party of Russia, and a member of the State Duma, the Russian parliament. In 2004 he ran for the office of president of Russia in the presidential elections. His candidacy...
only receiving 13.7%. This is the largest margin in a Russian presidential election. - The United RussiaUnited RussiaUnited Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
party collected 64% of votes during the 2007 Duma electionsRussian legislative election, 2007Legislative elections were held in the Russian Federation on 2 December 2007. At stake were the 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia . Eleven parties were included in the ballot, including Russia's largest party, United Russia, which was supported by...
. The next highest vote total was achieved by the Communist Party of the Russian FederationCommunist Party of the Russian FederationThe Communist Party of the Russian Federation is a Russian political party. It is the second major political party in the Russian Federation.-History:...
, which received 11% of votes cast. The elections have been criticized for being unfair.
Scotland
- Scottish Parliament general election, 2011: The Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
led by Alex SalmondAlex SalmondAlexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
won 69 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, leading to the first majority governmentMajority governmentA majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in Scottish history since the Restoration of the Scottish ParliamentDevolution in the United KingdomIn the United Kingdom, devolution refers to the statutory granting of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly and to their associated executive bodies the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government...
. The electoral system in Scotland is specifically designed to prevent majority government. In second place was the Scottish Labour PartyScottish Labour PartyThe Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
, with only 37 seats.
Singapore
- Singaporean general election, 1959: The People's Action PartyPeople's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
led by Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan YewLee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
won 43 of 51 seats in the Legislative Assembly on 54.1% of valid votes under the first past the post system. - Singaporean general election, 2001: The People's Action PartyPeople's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
won 75.3% of the popular vote and 82 of 84 seats in the Parliament of Singapore.
South Korea
- In the 2007 Presidential electionSouth Korean presidential election, 2007The 17th South Korean presidential election took place on 19 December 2007. The election was won by Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party, returning conservatives to the Blue House for the first time in ten years...
, Lee Myung-bakLee Myung-bakLee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
beat his nearest rival Chung Dong-youngChung Dong-youngChung Dong-young is a politician and was the United New Democratic Party candidate for President of South Korea in 2007....
by 22.6 percentage points, garnering 48.7% of the vote against Chung's 26.1% of the vote, while independent candidate Lee Hoi-changLee Hoi-changLee Hoi-chang is a South Korean politician. A Catholic, he was born to an elite family in Seoheung, Hwanghae , but grew up in the south after his father, a public prosecutor, was appointed to a new post....
came in third with 15.1% of the vote. Since the beginning of direct Presidential elections in South Korea, this election was won by the widest margin in South Korea history. However, the turnout was the lowest ever for a South Korean presidential election.
Spain
- In the Spanish general election, 1982Spanish general election, 1982General elections were held in Spain on 28 October 1982.PSOE and PSC presented two different lists of candidates: with the PSOE contesting most of Spain and the PSC only standing in Catalonia...
, the Spanish Socialist Workers' PartySpanish Socialist Workers' PartyThe Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
, led by Felipe GonzálezFelipe GonzálezFelipe González Márquez is a Spanish socialist politician. He was the General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996.-Early life:Felipe was...
got 48.34% of the popular vote and 202 out of the 350 seats in the Congress, nearly doubling the second party, the conservative People's Alliance led by Manuel Fraga (26.46% of vote and 107 seats). This is the most overwhelming majority in Spanish democratic era. The party in the government until 1982, centrist Union of the Democratic Centre, only got eleven seats.
Taiwan (Republic of ChinaRepublic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
)
- Republic of China presidential election, 1996: Incumbent Lee Teng-huiLee Teng-huiLee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
of the KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
won 54.0% of votes, while his closest rival won 21.0%. - Republic of China presidential election, 2008: Ma Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
of the KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
won 58.5% of votes, while his rival Frank HsiehFrank HsiehFrank Hsieh Chang-ting is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party in the Republic of China. He was the mayor of Kaohsiung City until his appointment as President of the Executive Yuan by president Chen Shui-bian on February 1, 2005. He announced his resignation from the post of...
of the Democratic Progressive PartyDemocratic Progressive PartyThe Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
won 41.3%.
Thailand
- Thai general election, 2005: Then incumbentIncumbentThe incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
prime ministerPrime Minister of ThailandThe Prime Minister of Thailand is the head of government of Thailand. The Prime Minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Revolution of 1932, when the country became a constitutional monarchy....
Thaksin ShinawatraThaksin ShinawatraThaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
of Thai Rak ThaiThai Rak ThaiThe Thai Rak Thai Party was a Thai political party that was officially banned on May 30, 2007, by the Constitutional Court of Thailand due to violations of electoral laws during the 2006 legislative elections. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under Prime Minister and its founder Thaksin...
won 374 out of 500 seats in the House of RepresentativesHouse of Representatives of ThailandThe House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai Government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. The system of the Thai...
while opposition Democrat PartyDemocrat Party (Thailand)The Democrat Party is Thailand's oldest political party and was the main coalition government party of the 23rd House of Representatives of Thailand. The Democrat Party's current leader is Abhisit Vejjajiva, incumbent opposition leader and former Prime Minister. The party upholds a conservative...
led by Banyat Bantadtan won only 96 seats - Thai general election, 2011: Yingluck ShinawatraYingluck ShinawatraYingluck Shinawatra , or nickname Pu , is a Thai businesswoman and politician, member of the Pheu Thai Party, and the 28th Prime Minister of Thailand following the 2011 general election...
, Thaksin's youngest sister and front-runnerFront-runnerFront-runner is a term to describe the leader in a race, whether political or athletic. The term arose from the close symbolism between political campaigns and athletic running events. The term is used in the U.S...
of Pheu Thai Party, won 265 out of 500 seats in the House of Representatives for first time in contest while ruling Democrat Party led by incumbent prime minister Abhisit VejjajivaAbhisit VejjajivaAbhisit Vejjajiva , , ; born Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva; 3 August 1964 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011 and is the current leader of the Democrat Party...
won 159 seats
Both were under parallel voting
Parallel voting
Parallel voting describes a mixed voting system where voters in effect participate in two separate elections for a single chamber using different systems, and where the results in one election have little or no impact on the results of the other...
system.
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
In general, any British general election which results in a majority of over 100 seats tends to be described as a landslide. Landslide victories since the Reform Act 1884Representation of the People Act 1884
In the United Kingdom, the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution Act of the following year were laws which further extended the suffrage in Britain after the Disraeli Government's Reform Act 1867...
(the first time a majority of adult males could vote) are:
- The 1886 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1886-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
: Unionist (Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and Liberal Unionist PartyLiberal Unionist PartyThe Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
) overall majority of 116 - The 1895 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1895The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
: Unionist overall majority of 152 - The 1900 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1900-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
: Unionist overall majority of 134 - The 1906 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1906-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
: Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
overall majority of 128 (356 when assuming Labour and Irish Nationalist support) - The 1918 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1918The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
: CoalitionCoalition Government 1916-1922The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
overall majority of 239 - The 1924 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1924- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
: Conservative overall majority of 209 - The 1931 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1931The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
: National government overall majority of 493 (including Conservative majority of 324) - The 1935 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1935The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
: National government overall majority of 247 - The 1945 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
: Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
overall majority of 146 - The 1959 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1959This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
: Conservative overall majority of 100 - The 1966 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1966The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
: Labour overall majority of 98 - The 1983 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1983The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
: Conservative overall majority of 144 - The 1987 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1987The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
: Conservative overall majority of 102 - The 1997 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
: Labour overall majority of 179 - The 2001 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2001The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
: Labour overall majority of 167
Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's general election victory
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
in 2001 with an overall majority of 167 was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media. Though the Government did score a very high majority, public interest in the election was not excited and, unlike most of the landslide results listed above, there was little change from the previous election and no change of governing party.
Landslides are relatively common in British electoral history, and this is partly as a result of the first-past-the-post
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
electoral system. Relatively small differences in numbers of popular votes cast be amplified by the eventual result. For instance, Labour achieved a 66-seat majority in the 2005 election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
despite securing only 35% of the vote. Conversely, parties can poll very highly and achieve disproportionately low numbers of MPs.
Presidential
Presidential elections in the United States are indirect; they are not determined by the "popular vote", but by the Electoral College. Each state is allocated as many "electors" as it has Senators and Representatives in the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and, at present, all states but Nebraska and Maine hold a "winner take all" vote, in which the winner of the popular vote in a state wins all electoral votes the state is eligible to cast (Nebraska and Maine give two electoral votes to the winner of the state and one electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district within the state.).
For this reason, many presidential victories appear to be huge landslide victories when examining the electoral vote, but much less so when examining the popular vote; for example, in the 1980 election
United States presidential election, 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
won 90.9% of the electoral vote but 50.7% of the popular vote to Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's 41.0%.
Popular votes
- Lyndon Johnson's 61.1% to Barry GoldwaterBarry GoldwaterBarry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
's 38.5% in the 1964 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1964The United States presidential election of 1964 was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had come to office less than a year earlier following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy. Johnson, who had successfully associated himself with Kennedy's... - Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's 60.8% to Alf LandonAlf LandonAlfred Mossman "Alf" Landon was an American Republican politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Kansas from 1933–1937. He was best known for being the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States, defeated in a landslide by Franklin D...
's 36.5% in the 1936 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1936The United States presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States in terms of electoral votes. In terms of the popular vote, it was the third biggest victory since the election of 1820, which was not seriously contested.The election took... - Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's 60.7% to George McGovernGeorge McGovernGeorge Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's 37.5% in the 1972 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1972The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard... - Warren Harding's 60.3% to James M. CoxJames M. CoxJames Middleton Cox was the 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio, U.S. Representative from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1920....
's 34.1% in the 1920 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1920The United States presidential election of 1920 was dominated by the aftermath of World War I and a hostile response to certain policies of Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic president. The wartime economic boom had collapsed. Politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's... - Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's 58.8% to Walter MondaleWalter MondaleWalter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
's 40.6% in the 1984 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1984The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982... - Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
's 56.4% to Alton B. ParkerAlton B. ParkerAlton Brooks Parker was an American lawyer, judge and the Democratic nominee for U.S. president in the 1904 elections.-Life:...
's 37.6% in the 1904 presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1904The United States presidential election of 1904 held on November 8, 1904, resulted in the election to a full term for President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt had succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of William McKinley. The Republican Party unanimously nominated him for president at...
Electoral votes
- James MonroeJames MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
's 231 electoral votes to John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
's 1 electoral vote in 1820. (99.1% margin) - Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's 523 electoral votes to Alf LandonAlf LandonAlfred Mossman "Alf" Landon was an American Republican politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Kansas from 1933–1937. He was best known for being the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States, defeated in a landslide by Franklin D...
's 8 electoral votes in 1936. (97% margin) - Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's 525 electoral votes to Walter MondaleWalter MondaleWalter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
's 13 electoral votes in 1984. (95.2% margin) - Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's 520 electoral votes to George McGovernGeorge McGovernGeorge Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's 17 electoral votes and John HospersJohn HospersJohn Hospers was an American philosopher. In 1972 he was the first presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, and the only minor party candidate to receive an electoral vote in the 1972 U.S. Presidential election....
's 1 in 1972. (93.3% margin)
The greatest modern landslides in the United States Presidential elections
- 1920United States presidential election, 1920The United States presidential election of 1920 was dominated by the aftermath of World War I and a hostile response to certain policies of Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic president. The wartime economic boom had collapsed. Politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's...
- the greatest percentage point margin in the popular vote (Harding 60.3% to Cox 34.1%). - 1936United States presidential election, 1936The United States presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States in terms of electoral votes. In terms of the popular vote, it was the third biggest victory since the election of 1820, which was not seriously contested.The election took...
- the greatest electoralUnited States Electoral CollegeThe Electoral College consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election...
votes difference between winner and opponent (Roosevelt 523 to Landon 8). - 1964United States presidential election, 1964The United States presidential election of 1964 was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had come to office less than a year earlier following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy. Johnson, who had successfully associated himself with Kennedy's...
- the highest percentage for winner (Lyndon Johnson 61.1%). - 1984United States presidential election, 1984The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
- the highest number of electoralUnited States Electoral CollegeThe Electoral College consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election...
votes (Reagan 525).