1920 San Marino general election

General elections were held in San Marino on 14 November 1920 to elect the sixth term of the Grand and General Council.[1] It was the country's first snap election, and the first election to use a form of proportional representation.[2] The result was a victory for the Sammarinese People's Party, which won 29 of the 60 seats.[3]

1920 San Marino general election
San Marino
← 1918 14 November 1920 1923 →

All 60 seats in the Grand and General Council
31 seats needed for a majority
Turnout59.17%
Party Leader Vote % Seats
PPS 47.75 29
PSS 29.58 18
UDS Manlio Gozi 22.67 13
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

Electoral system

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Following Italy, San Marino adopted a party-list proportional representation electoral system on 15 October 1920. The three-class division was eliminated, and councillors' terms limited to four years.

Voters had to be citizens of San Marino, male, the head of the family and 24 years old.

Campaign

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The Sammarinese People's Party made its debut, after Pope Benedict's abolition of the non expedit had allowed the foundation of its twin, the Italian People's Party. By their part, landowners created a conservative party, the Sammarinese Democratic Union, campaigning for the return to pre-1906 institutions to restore order against strikes and political violence.

Results

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PartyVotes%Seats
Sammarinese People's Party1,12547.7529
Sammarinese Socialist Party69729.5818
Sammarinese Democratic Union53422.6713
Total2,356100.0060
Valid votes2,35698.54
Invalid/blank votes351.46
Total votes2,391100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,04159.17
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Aftermath

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The Socialists refused to join the newly elected council, following a revolutionary political strategy. On 11 January 1921, all Socialist seats were declared vacant due to absence and a by-election was held on 10 April, in which ten Christian democrats and eight conservatives were elected.

References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1678 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ The electoral system used the D'Hondt method.
  3. ^ Nohlen & Stöver, p1690