1905 Hungarian parliamentary election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections were held between 26 January and 4 February 1905. The result was a victory for the Party of Independence and '48, marking the first time the Liberal Party had lost power since 1875.[1] The result mostly influenced by the Handkerchief vote. The Prime Minister Count István Tisza presented his proposal for amending the House Rules in a public letter to his constituents on October 8, 1904, with which he intended to reform the functioning of the parliament. According to the rules, a House Rules Review Committee should have been set up for this by the House of the Representatives, but the opposition did not agree to this. Instead, the amendment proposal was submitted by Gábor Dániel on November 18, 1904, and after the Prime Minister's speech – at 9:30 in the evening – Speaker Dezső Perczel signaled for a vote with a handkerchief. The ruling party members stood up by the signal, thus accepting the proposal. The proposal (Lex Daniel) was adopted with multiple violations of the House Rules, and it is not even certain whether the Speaker put the question to a vote. The next day, Count Gyula Andrássy and his followers left the Liberal Party (Dissidents) and entered into a coalition with the opposition parties. The united opposition asked the king to annul the Lex Daniel and the government to resign. The opposition members smashed the furniture in the meeting room of the House of Representatives on December 13, 1904. The Prime Minister announced early parliamentary elections on December 16, which was also illegal because the parliament had not adopted the budget, thus creating an ex lex situation. One of the leaders of the Dissidents, Count Albert Apponyi, admitted that the opposition also bore responsibility for the situation. Prior the election the Ugron Party of Independence and '48 merged into the Party of Independence and '48. The former prime minister Dezső Bánffy founded the New Party, and many members of the Liberal Party join to it.[2]
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 January–4 February 1905
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 413 elected seats in the Diet 207 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parties and leaders
| Party | Leader | |
|---|---|---|
| Party of Independence and '48 (F48P) | Ferenc Kossuth | |
| Liberal Party (SZP) | Frigyes Podmaniczky | |
| Catholic People's Party (KNP) | Aladár Zichy | |
| Liberal Party dissidents (DIS) | Gyula Andrássy | |
| New Party (ÚP) | Dezső Bánffy | |
| Romanian National Party (PNR) | Gheorghe Pop | |
| Reorganized Social Democratic Party of Hungary (MÚSZDP) | Vilmos Mezőfi | |
| Civic Democratic Party (PDP) | Vilmos Vázsonyi | |
| Serb People's Radical Party (SNRS) | Jaša Tomić | |
| Slovak National Party (SNS) | Pavol Mudroň | |
Electoral system
The elections were based on property, income and education census. Landowners with a ¼ plot of land, rural industrialists paying a tax of 6 Ft, urban industrialists paying a tax of 10.50 Ft, house tenants paying a tax of 15.75 Ft, land and house owners paying a tax of 5 Ft, landless house owners paying a tax of 6 Ft, employed priests, officials, teachers, tutors, writers, artists, lawyers, notaries and health workers with a degree were electors. 20 years older men were eligible to vote and 24 years older men could be elected. Women had no right for the participation. The elections were held exclusively in single-member district by open voting.[3][4]
Results
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | +/– | |
| Party of Independence and '48 | 168 | +92 | |
| Liberal Party | 157 | -123 | |
| Catholic People's Party | 25 | +3 | |
| Liberal Party dissidents | 24 | New | |
| New Party | 13 | New | |
| Independent moderate | 11 | +6 | |
| Romanian National Party | 8 | +8 | |
| Reorganized Social Democratic Party of Hungary | 2 | New | |
| Civic Democratic Party | 2 | +1 | |
| Independent '48ers | 1 | +1 | |
| Serb People's Radical Party | 1 | 0 | |
| Slovak National Party | 1 | -2 | |
| Total | 413 | – | |
| Source: Ballabás-Pap-Pál[5] | |||
The group of independents are classified by their political position as 48'ers and moderate oposition.
Aftermath
King Franz Joseph I refused to appoint an opposition leader to Prime Minister who demanded reform of the military and suffrage and increase Hungarian autonomy. The heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, actively supported this and plans for a military occupation of the country were also prepared. Finally, the monarch appointed Baron Géza Fejérváry as prime minister in June 1905.[6] The National Assembly also declared the mandates of two members of the Liberal Party null and void. Miklós Serbán was then re-elected, but István Rudnay was replaced by Valér Smialowszky, the candidate of the Party of Independence and '48.[7]