Political poster (1936) claiming that the Popular Front was under Soviet control.
French legislative elections to elect the 16th legislature of the French Third Republic were held on 26 April and 3 May 1936. This was the last legislature of the Third Republic and the last election before World War II. The number of candidates set a record, with 4,807 people vying for 618 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. In the Seine Department alone, there were 1,402 candidates.[1]
For the first time, the Radical-Socialists were eclipsed on the left by the SFIO, while still keeping a considerable role in French politics.
Regional results
The SFIC, predecessor of the Communist Party, doubled its score 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.
Results
Popular Vote
Summary of the popular vote in the 26 April and 3 May 1936 Chamber of Deputies election results