1936 French legislative election

French legislative elections to elect the 16th legislature of the French Third Republic were held on 26 April and 3 May 1936. This was the last legislature of the Third Republic and the last election before World War II. The number of candidates set a record, with 4,807 people vying for 618 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. In the Seine Department alone, there were 1,402 candidates.[1]

1936 French legislative election
26 April and 3 May 1936
All 610 seats to the Chamber of Deputies
306 seats were needed for a majority
Registered11,795,000
Turnout9,847,266 (83.5%)
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Léon Blum Édouard Daladier Louis Marin
Party SFIO PRV FR and RIAS
Leader's seat Narbonne Orange Meurthe-et-Moselle
Last election 132 seats 160 seats 59 seats
Seats won 149 110 100
Seat change 17 50 41
Popular vote 1,955,306 1,422,611 1,475,793
Percentage 19.86% 14.45% 15.2%
Swing 0.65% 4.73% 2.89%
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Pierre-Étienne Flandin (AD) Maurice Thorez
Party AD-RI PCF
Leader's seat Yonne Seine
Last election 121 seats 10 seats
Seats won 82 72
Seat change 39 62
Popular vote 2,089,166 1,502,404
Percentage 21.33% 15.26%
Swing 1.89% 6.94%
Government before election

Albert Sarraut II
PRRRS (Republican coalition)

 Elected Government

Léon Blum I
SFIO (Popular Front)

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The Popular Front, composed of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), the Radical-Socialists, the French Section of the Communist International (SFIC), and miscellaneous leftists, won power from the broad Republican coalitions that had governed since the 6 February 1934 crisis. Léon Blum became president of the council. Broad Republican coalitions had governed since the 6 February 1934 crisis: Government Gaston Doumergue II (Union Nationale, 272 days), Government Flandin I (204 days), Government Bouisson (3 days) and Government Laval IV (229 days).

For the first time, the Radical-Socialists were eclipsed on the left by the SFIO, while still keeping a considerable role in French politics.

Regional results
  • The SFIC, predecessor of the Communist Party, doubled its score from 11 SFIC and 9 Union Ouvrière deputies in 1932 to 72 in 1936. The party made gains in industrialized suburbs and working-class areas of major cities. They also progressed in rural central and southwestern France (e.g., Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne)
  • The Radicals lost votes to the SFIO and SFIC, but also to the right.
  • The SFIO declined slightly. In working-class suburbs, the party declined, but it gained votes in Brittany, to the dismay of the right.
  • Only 174 seats were elected in the first round, 424 were decided in a run-off. The right fared better in the second round.

Results
Summary of the popular vote in the 26 April and 3 May 1936 Chamber of Deputies election results
Alliance Votes % Party Abbr. Votes %
  Popular Front 5,628,321 57.17 French Section of the Workers' International (Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière) SFIO 1,955,306 19.86
French Communist Party (Parti communiste français) PCF 1,502,404 15.26
Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (Parti républicain, radical et radical-socialiste) PRRRS 1,422,611 14.45
Miscellaneous Left (Divers gauche) DVG 748,600 7.60
  Right and Centre 4,202,298 42.68
Democratic Alliance (Alliance démocratique), Independent Radicals (Radicaux indépendents), Popular Democrats (Démocrates populaires) AD-RI-PDP 2,536,294 25.76
Republican Federation (Fédération républicaine), Independents, Conservatives FR 1,666,004 16.92
Other parties Div 16,047 0.16
Total 9,846,666 100
Abstention: 17.75%
Popular vote
AD-RI-PDP
 
 25.76%
SFIO
 
 19.86%
FR
 
 16.92%
PCF
 
 15.26%
PRRRS
 
 14.45%
DVG
 
 7.60%
Others
 
 0.16%
Popular vote (alliances)
Popular Front
 
 57.17%
Right and Centre
 
 42.68%
Others
 
 0.16%

Parliamentary Groups
Affiliation Party Seats
Left
  French Communist Party (PCF) 72
  Party of Proletarian Unity (PUP) 6
  French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) 149
  Socialist Republican Union (USR) 29
Centre-Left
  Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (PRRRS) 110
  Radical-Socialist Party Camille Pelletan (PRS-CP) 3
  Frontist Party 2
  Party of the Young Republic (PJR) 4
  Independent Left 11
Centre-Right
  Democratic and Independent Radical Left 39
  Alliance of Left Republicans and Independent Radicals 43
  Independents of Popular Action 16
  Popular Democrats 13
Right
  Independent Republicans of Social Action and Agrarian Group 40
  Republican Federation and Independents of the National and Republican Union 60
  Republican Independents 13
Total 610
% vote for the Front Populaire in 1936

[2] [3]

References
  1. "French elections a task for voters", The New York Times. 20 April 1936. Page 7.
  2. Results on France-politique.fr
  3. Parliamentary Groups on France-politique.fr
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