Partial general elections were held inBelgium on 25 May 1902.[1]The result was a victory for theCatholic Party, which won 54 of the 85 seats up for election in theChamber of Representatives.[2] Voter turnout was 95.7%.[3]
Under the alternating system, elections were only held in five out of the nine provinces:Antwerp,Brabant,Luxembourg,Namur andWest Flanders. In addition to the regular elections for these 85 seats, elections were held for one seat (6 in total) in Ghent-Eeklo, Aalst, Soignies, Charleroi, Liège and Verviers because the number of representatives increased for these electoral arrondissements following the population census.
A month earlier, ageneral strike was held, aimed at forcingelectoral reform and notably the end of the system ofplural voting. However, it was unsuccessful. The Catholic Party, being against reform, even strengthened its majority in the elections.
The distribution of seats among the electoral districts was as follows.[5] Several arrondissements got one or more additional seats, following the population census.
