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November 1946 French legislative election

← 1946 (Jun) 10 November 1946 1951 →
All 627 seats to theFrench National Assembly 314 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	78.05% ( 3.8pp)
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Maurice Thorez Georges Bidault Guy Mollet Party PCF MRP SFIO Leader's seat Seine Loire Pas-de-Calais Last election 153 seats 166 seats 128 seats Seats won 182 173 102 Seat change 29 7 26 Popular vote 5,430,593 4,988,609 3,433,901 Percentage 28.26% 25.96% 17.87%   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Michel Clemenceau Jean-Paul David Party PRL RGR Leader's seat Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Oise Last election 67 seats* 52 seats Seats won 72* 69 Seat change 5 17 Popular vote 2,487,313 2,136,152 Percentage 12.94% 11.12%
Results by department
Prime Minister before election Georges Bidault MRP ElectedPrime Minister Georges Bidault MRP

Legislative elections were held in France on 10 November 1946 to elect the firstNational Assembly of theFourth Republic. The electoral system used wasproportional representation.

After the rejection of a first constitutional draft (5 May 1946 referendum), a new provisional National Assembly was elected to elaborate a second text. TheChristian democrat leaderGeorges Bidault (Popular Republican Movement, MRP) led a government which includedsocialists (French Section of the Workers' International, SFIO) andCommunists (French Communist Party, PCF). ThisThree-parties alliance proposed the establishment of aparliamentary system.

Advocating apresidential government,GeneralCharles de Gaulle campaigned for a "No" vote. He warned against the "regime of the parties" which was, according to him, responsible for the 1940 collapse. His followers founded theGaullist Union. TheRally of the Republican Lefts (an electoral alliance dominated by theRadical Party) and the classical Right also campaigned for a "No", because they were opposed to a constitutional change and to the economic policy of the three-parties alliance. Despite this, the second constitutional draft was approved by13 October 1946 referendum.

The French voters were called to elect the first Assembly of the Fourth Republic. TheThree-parties alliance won with a comfortable majority. The PCF regained its position as the largest party to the detriment of the Christian democrats. It obtained the best electoral result in its history. The MRP and the SFIO vote decreased slightly.

Consequently, the PCF leaderMaurice Thorez demanded to lead the government but his allies refused. Finally, the SFIO formerprime ministerLéon Blum took the head of theCabinet. Furthermore, another socialist,Vincent Auriol, was electedPresident of France. The SFIO benefited from its position in the middle of the governmental alliance. However, the alliance split in due to the 1947 strikes and the beginning of theCold War. The Communistministers were dismissed by socialist Prime MinisterPaul Ramadier. The SFIO, the MRP, theRadicals and the classicalright allied to form theThird Force coalition, against the Communists on the one hand and theGaullists on the other.

• List of elections in 1946
  • November 1946 French legislative election in Gabon–Moyen Congo

• 1946 elections in France
• Legislative elections in France

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