1936 French legislative election

Legislative elections were held in France on 26 April and 3 May 1936, the last elections before World War II. The number of candidates set a record, with 4,807 running for election to the Chamber of Deputies. In the Seine Department alone, there were 1,402 candidates.^[1] The legislative election was the last before women were granted the right to vote in April 1944.^[2]

1936 French legislative election

← 1932 26 April 1936 (first round) 3 May 1936 (second round) 1945 →
All 612 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 307 seats needed for a majority
Registered	11,768,491
Turnout	84.45%
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Léon Blum Édouard Daladier Louis Marin Party SFIO PRRRS Republican Union Alliance Popular Front Popular Front National Front Last election 129 seats 157 seats 76 seats Seats won 149 111 128 Seat change 20 46 52 Popular vote 1,955,306 1,422,611 1,666,004 Percentage 19.86% 14.45% 16.92% Swing 0.65pp 4.73pp 4.04pp   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Pierre-Étienne Flandin Maurice Thorez Party Republican Left PCF Alliance National Front Popular Front Last election 72 seats 12 seats Seats won 95 72 Seat change 23 60 Popular vote 2,536,294 1,502,404 Percentage 25.76% 15.26% Swing 12.19pp 6.94pp
Government before election Albert Sarraut II Elected Government Léon Blum I SFIO (Popular Front)

Political poster (1936) claiming that the Popular Front was under Soviet control.

The Popular Front, a broad centre-left electoral alliance composed of the social-democratic French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), the social-liberal Radical-Socialists, the French Section of the Communist International (SFIC), and associated smaller left-wing groups, won power from the conservative coalition that had governed since the 6 February 1934 crisis. Léon Blum became president of the council.

Results

Vote strength for the Popular Front

The SFIC, predecessor of the Communist Party, more than tripled its seats total from 11 SFIC and 9 Union Ouvrière deputies in 1932 to 72 in 1936. The party made gains in industrialized suburbs and working-class areas of major cities. They also progressed in rural central and southwestern France (e.g., Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne) The Radicals lost votes to the SFIO and SFIC, but also to the right. The SFIO declined slightly. In working-class suburbs, the party declined, but it gained votes in Brittany, to the dismay of the right. Only 174 seats were elected in the first round, 424 were decided in a run-off. The right fared better in the second round.

72 149 29 111 28 95 128
Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	Popular Front		French Section of the Workers' International	1,955,306	19.86	149
			French Communist Party	1,502,404	15.26	72
			Radical Socialist Party	1,422,611	14.45	111
			Socialist Republican Union	748,600	7.60	29
			Miscellaneous left			28
		Total		5,628,921	57.16	389
	National Front		Republican Left	2,536,294	25.76	95
			Republican Union	1,666,004	16.92	128
		Total		4,202,298	42.67	223
	Others			16,047	0.16	0
Total				9,847,266	100.00	612
Valid votes				9,847,266	99.09
Invalid/blank votes				90,692	0.91
Total votes				9,937,958	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				11,768,491	84.45
Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] Nohlen & Stöver,[4] Quid