General elections were held in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 6 March 1888. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1395 The Liberal Union emerged as the largest party, winning 46 of the 100 seats in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Background

This was the first election held after the constitutional revision of 1887, achieved by Minister of the Interior

Jan Heemskerk Jan Heemskerk Abrahamszoon (; 30 July 1818 – 9 October 1897) was a Dutch politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1874 to 1877, and again from 1883 to 1888. His son, Theo Heemskerk also served as Chairman of the Coun ...

, which had several effects on the parliamentary system. Firstly, this revision fixed the number of seats in the House of Representatives at 100. Secondly, it abolished multi-seat electoral districts except in large cities in favour of single-seat districts, thus allowing for better representation of geographically concentrated political minorities. Thirdly, the revision ensured all members of the House of Representatives would be elected simultaneously every four years, replacing the previous system of

staggered elections Staggered elections are elections where only some of the places in an elected body are up for election at the same time. For example, United States senators have a six-year term, but they are not all elected at the same time. Rather, elections a ...

. Finally, the change greatly extended suffrage and allowed for gradual further extension by law. The election was won by the

confessional A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall in which the priest in some Christian churches sits to hear the confessions of penitents. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Churches, but si ...

parties, leading to the first Coalition government, combining Anti-Revolutionaries and Catholics, led by Æneas, Baron Mackay, thus heralding a period of Antithesis as championed by Abraham Kuyper, in which government alternated between secular liberals on the left and confessional Anti-Revolutionaries and Catholics on the right. The election also saw the first socialist elected into the House of Representatives, with

Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis Ferdinand Jacobus Domela Nieuwenhuis (31 December 1846 – 18 November 1919) was a Dutch socialist politician and later a social anarchist and anti-militarist. He was a Lutheran preacher who, after he lost his faith, started a political fight ...

, leader of the

Social Democratic League The Social Democratic League ( nl, Sociaal-Democratische Bond, SDB) was a socialist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 1881, the SDB was the first socialist party to enter the House of Representatives. Party history Before 1881 I ...

, being elected in a rural Frisian district.

Results

By district

Social Democratic

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Conservative

Anti-Revolutionary A counter-revolutionary or an anti-revolutionary is anyone who opposes or resists a revolution, particularly one who acts after a revolution in order to try to overturn it or reverse its course, in full or in part. The adjective "counter-revoluti ...

Catholic

References

{{Dutch general elections General elections in the Netherlands

1888 in the Netherlands Election and referendum articles with incomplete results March 1888 events