1831 Belgian general election


General elections were held in Belgium on 29 August 1831. They were the first elections to the new bicameral parliament created by the constitution adopted in February 1831.
In the Senate elections Catholics won 31 seats and Liberals four. Voter turnout was 62.2%, although only 46,000 people were eligible to vote.
On 8 September 1831, King Leopold I of Belgium opened the 1831–1832 parliamentary session, the first ever of the Belgian Parliament.

Electoral system

The electoral system was defined in the 1831 constitution and the electoral law of 3 March 1831. The 102 members of the Chamber of Representatives and 51 members of the Senate were elected by absolute majority in 44 electoral districts. Each district had between one and seven representatives and one to three senators; some were elected by joint or alternating districts.
Eligibility vote was restricted to men aged 25 or older who held Belgian nationality either through birth or through grand naturalisation, and who paid a cens fixed by the electoral law. The cens differentiated depending on the place of residence.

Constituencies

The 44 constituencies elected 102 representatives and appointed 51 senators as follows.
ProvinceConstituencyRepresentativesSenators
Antwerp
Antwerp42
Antwerp
Mechelen31
Antwerp
Turnhout21
Brabant
Brussels73.5
Brabant
Nivelles31.5
Brabant
Leuven42
West Flanders
Bruges31
West Flanders
Ypres21.5
West Flanders
Kortrijk32
West Flanders
Tielt21
West Flanders
Roeselare21
West Flanders
Veurne11.5
West Flanders
Ostend11.5
West Flanders
Diksmuide11.5
East Flanders
Ghent63
East Flanders
Aalst32
East Flanders
Sint-Niklaas31
East Flanders
Oudenaarde31
East Flanders
Dendermonde21
East Flanders
Eeklo11
Hainaut
Mons31.5
Hainaut
Tournai41.5
Hainaut
Charleroi2.51
Hainaut
Thuin1.51
Hainaut
Soignies21
Hainaut
Ath21
Liège
Liège4.52
Liège
Huy1.51
Liège
Verviers21
Liège
Waremme11
Limburg
Maastricht3.52
Limburg
Hasselt2.51
Limburg
Roermond31
Luxembourg
Bastogne11.5
Luxembourg
Marche11.5
Luxembourg
Neufchâteau11.5
Luxembourg
Virton11.5
Luxembourg
Diekirch11.5
Luxembourg
Grevenmacher11.5
Luxembourg
Arlon11.5
Luxembourg
Luxembourg11
Namur
Namur31.5
Namur
Philippeville10.5
Namur
Dinant11