1946 Dutch Senate election

Elections for all 50 seats in the Senate of the Netherlands were held on 12 July 1946. The snap election was the first held after the end of World War II.

Senators were elected by provincial councils in four "electoral groups". Group I comprised North Brabant, Zeeland, Utrecht and Limburg; group II comprised Gelderland, Overijssel, Groningen and Drenthe; group III comprised North Holland and Friesland; and group IV comprised South Holland. Within each electoral group, Senators were elected by provincial councils using party-list proportional representation. Provincial councillors' votes were weighted to their province's population.^[1]

The incumbent government, consisting of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and the Labour Party (PvdA) won a combined majority of 31 seats. The Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) entered the Senate for the first time with four seats.

Results

1946 Senate election

Party		Unweighted		Weighted		Seats	+/–
Party		Votes	%	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Catholic People's Party	184	31.83	30,900	34.06	17	+1
	Labour Party	158	27.34	24,152	26.62	14	0
	Anti-Revolutionary Party	79	13.67	11,511	12.69	7	0
	Communist Party of the Netherlands	50	8.65	8,912	9.82	4	New
	Christian Historical Union	64	11.07	8,556	9.43	5	−1
	Freedom Party	33	5.71	5,242	5.78	3	0
	Reformed Political Party	10	1.73	1,454	1.60	0	0
Total		578	100.00	90,727	100.00	50	0

Valid votes		578	100.00	90,727	100.00
Invalid/blank votes		0	0.00	0	0.00
Total votes		578	100.00	90,727	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		590	97.97	92,370	98.22
Source: Staatscourant^[2]

By electoral group

1946 Senate election in electoral group I
Party		Unweighted		Weighted		Seats	+/–
Party		Votes	%	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Catholic People's Party	110	58.82	17,058	66.98	9	0
	Labour Party	38	20.32	4,578	17.98	2	+1
	Anti-Revolutionary Party	15	8.02	1,614	6.34	1	0
	Christian Historical Union	17	9.09	1,594	6.26	1	0
	Reformed Political Party	5	2.67	368	1.44	0	0
	Freedom Party	2	1.07	256	1.01	0	0
	Communist Party of the Netherlands	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	New
Total		187	100.00	25,468	100.00	13	0

Valid votes		187	100.00	25,468	100.00
Invalid/blank votes		0	0.00	0	0.00
Total votes		187	100.00	25,468	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		192	97.40	25,929	98.22
Source: Staatscourant^[2]

1946 Senate election in electoral group II
Party		Unweighted		Weighted		Seats	+/–
Party		Votes	%	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Labour Party	53	28.96	6,056	27.11	4	0
	Catholic People's Party	37	20.22	5,297	23.71	3	0
	Anti-Revolutionary Party	30	16.39	3,437	15.39	2	0
	Christian Historical Union	27	14.75	3,411	15.27	2	0
	Communist Party of the Netherlands	17	9.29	1,986	8.89	1	New
	Freedom Party	17	9.29	1,856	8.31	1	0
	Reformed Political Party	2	1.09	294	1.32	0	0
Total		183	100.00	22,337	100.00	13	0

Valid votes		183	100.00	22,337	100.00
Invalid/blank votes		0	0.00	0	0.00
Total votes		183	100.00	22,337	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		189	96.83	23,303	95.85
Source: Staatscourant^[3]

1946 Senate election in electoral group III
Party		Unweighted		Weighted		Seats	+/–
Party		Votes	%	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Labour Party	42	33.33	6,918	32.52	4	−1
	Communist Party of the Netherlands	23	18.25	4,286	20.15	2	New
	Catholic People's Party	19	15.08	3,793	17.83	2	0
	Anti-Revolutionary Party	22	17.46	3,292	15.48	2	0
	Christian Historical Union	13	10.32	1,699	7.99	1	0
	Freedom Party	7	5.56	1,282	6.03	1	0
Total		126	100.00	21,270	100.00	12	0

Valid votes		126	100.00	21,270	100.00
Invalid/blank votes		0	0.00	0	0.00
Total votes		126	100.00	21,270	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		127	99.21	21,490	98.98
Source: Staatscourant^[4]

1937 Senate election in electoral group IV
Party		Unweighted		Weighted		Seats	+/–
Party		Votes	%	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Labour Party	25	30.49	6,600	30.49	4	0
	Catholic People's Party	18	21.95	4,752	21.95	3	+1
	Anti-Revolutionary Party	12	14.63	3,168	14.63	2	0
	Communist Party of the Netherlands	10	12.20	2,640	12.20	1	New
	Christian Historical Union	7	8.54	1,848	8.54	1	−1
	Freedom Party	7	8.54	1,848	8.54	1	0
	Reformed Political Party	3	3.66	792	3.66	0	0
Total		82	100.00	21,648	100.00	12	0

Valid votes		82	100.00	21,648	100.00
Invalid/blank votes		0	0.00	0	0.00
Total votes		82	100.00	21,648	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		82	100.00	21,648	100.00
Source: Staatscourant^[5]

References

^ "Geschiedenis kiesstelsel Eerste Kamer". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 August 2025.
^ ^a ^b "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
^ "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
^ "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 12. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
^ "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 16. Retrieved 19 September 2025.

[1] "Geschiedenis kiesstelsel Eerste Kamer". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 August 2025.

[a-2] "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 19 September 2025.

[3] "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 19 September 2025.

[4] "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 12. Retrieved 19 September 2025.

[5] "PROCES-VERBAAL van de zitting van het Centraal Stembureau, bedoeld in artikel 115o der Kieswet". Staatscourant (in Dutch). The Hague. 22 July 1946. p. 16. Retrieved 19 September 2025.

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Dutch Senate elections
1923 1926 1929 1932 1935 1937 1946 1948 1951 1952 1955 Jun 1956 Oct 1956 1960 1963 1966 1969 1971 1974 1977 1980 1981 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
See also: Electoral colleges for the Senate