1946 Czechoslovak parliamentary election

1946 Czechoslovak parliamentary election

26 May 1946 (1946-05-26)
All 300 seats in the Constituent National Assembly 151 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	93.9%
First party Second party Third party   File:Petr Zenkl - barva.jpg Leader Klement Gottwald Petr Zenkl Jan Šrámek Party KSČ ČSNS ČSL Seats after 93 55 46 Seat change 63 27 24 Popular vote 2,205,697 1,298,980 1,111,009 Percentage 31.2% 18.4% 15.7%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Jozef Lettrich Zdeněk Fierlinger Štefan Bašťovanský Party DS ČSSD KSS Seats after 43 37 21 Seat change 43 1 21 Popular vote 999,622 855,538 489,596 Percentage 14.1% 12.1% 6.9%   Seventh party Eighth party   Leader Vavro Šrobár Ivan Frlička Party SS SP Seats after 3 2 Seat change 3 2 Popular vote 60,195 50,079 Percentage 0.9% 0.7%
Prime Minister before election Zdeněk Fierlinger ČSSD Elected Prime Minister Klement Gottwald KSČ

Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 26 May 1946. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia emerged as the largest party, winning 114 of the 300 seats (93 for the main party and 21 for its Slovak branch) with 38% of the vote; the Communist vote share was higher than any party had achieved in any previous Czechoslovak election, with no party having previously received more than 25%. Voter turnout was 93.9%. The national results also determined the composition of the Slovak National Council and local committees.

This was one of only two free elections held in the Eastern Bloc, the other having been held in Hungary a year earlier. Two years later, the Communists staged a coup d'etat and established an undisguised Communist regime. As a result, the 1946 election was the last free election held in Czechoslovakia until 1990.

Background

After World War II, a 300-member Interim National Assembly was formed and met for the first time on 28 October 1945. The Assembly created a new electoral system with the country divided into 28 multi-member constituencies. 150 members were elected from Bohemia, 81 from Moravia and Silesia and 69 from Slovakia. The voting age was lowered to 18, but only Czechs, Slovaks and other Slavs could register to vote.

Opinion polls

Date	Polling firm	KSČ	ČSNS	ČSL	ČSSD	Blank votes	Notes
			style="background:Template:Czech National Social Party/meta/color; width:40px;"|	style="background:Template:Czechoslovak People's Party/meta/color; width:40px;"|	style="background:Template:Czechoslovak Social Democracy/meta/color; width:40px;"|
April 1946	ÚVVM	39.6	22.5	19.2	16.0	2.7	Only Bohemia and Moravia

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia	2,205,697	31.2	93	+63
Czechoslovak National Social Party	1,298,980	18.4	55	+27
Czechoslovak People's Party	1,111,009	15.7	46	+24
Democratic Party	999,622	14.1	43	New
Czechoslovak Social Democracy	855,538	12.1	37	–1
Communist Party of Slovakia	489,596	6.9	21	New
Freedom Party	60,195	0.9	3	New
Labour Party	50,079	0.7	2	New
Invalid/blank votes	59,427	–	–	–
Total	7,130,143	100	300	0
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Aftermath

Following the elections, Communist leader Klement Gottwald formed a coalition government. However, the Communists gradually tightened their grip on the country. After the non-Communist members resigned from the Cabinet on 25 February 1948, the Communists seized full control of the country.