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8 (of the 24) seats in the Senate and 1 mid-term vacancy 13 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A senatorial election in the Philippines was held on November 8, 1955. This was a midterm election, the date when the winners took office falling halfway through President Ramon Magsaysay's four-year term.
Since Magsaysay was very popular midway through his term, there were 10 candidates who ran under the Nacionalista banner. His adoptive Nacionalista Party continued to grow in strength with the absorption of their erstwhile coalition partner, the Democratic Party; but a pillar of the NP could not hide his opposition to the president. Senator Claro M. Recto, one of those who actively sought the adoption of the former Defense Secretary into the NP fold in 1953, had grown critical of Magsaysay, calling him a “banana dictator” and “American puppet,” among other unflattering names. In retaliation, Magsaysay refused the inclusion of Recto into the NP Senate slate of 1955, prompting the Batangueño leader to seek support for his candidacy with the Liberals.
Though Lorenzo Tañada of the NCP had cooperated with the NP in 1953, Recto became the first “guest candidate” in Philippine electoral history, when he was included in the Liberal Party lineup but did not resign his membership as a Nacionalista.[1]
There was a special election held for the vacant seat of Senator Carlos P. Garcia after he won as Vice President in 1953. Roseller T. Lim won and served the unexpired term of Garcia from 1955 to 1957.
The Nacionalista Party won all eight seats contested in the general election, and won the one seat contested in the special election.
Nacionalistas Quintin Paredes, Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo Sumulong both defended their Senate seats. Paredes and Sumulong were former Liberals who ran as Nacionalistas in this election. The two Liberal senators who defended their seats were defeated: Enrique Magalona and Macario Peralta.
Five winners are neophyte Nacionalista senators: Decoroso Rosales, Domocao Alonto, Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo, Pacita Madrigal-Warns, and Pedro Sabido. Madrigal-Warns became the only woman in the Senate.
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| Before election | ‡ | ‡ | ‡ | ‡ | ‡^ | ‡^ | ‡ | ‡ | ‡ | |||||||||||||||
| Election result | Not up | NP | Not up | |||||||||||||||||||||
| After election | + | + | + | + | + | + | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||||||||
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 Philippines portal |
Key:
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacita Madrigal-Warns | Nacionalista Party | 2,544,716 | 50.43 | |
| Lorenzo Sumulong | Nacionalista Party | 2,250,780 | 44.60 | |
| Quintin Paredes | Nacionalista Party | 2,171,415 | 43.03 | |
| Soc Rodrigo | Nacionalista Party | 2,132,094 | 42.25 | |
| Pedro Sabido | Nacionalista Party | 1,821,098 | 36.09 | |
| Claro M. Recto | Nacionalista Party[a] | 1,716,984 | 34.02 | |
| Domocao Alonto | Nacionalista Party | 1,619,109 | 32.08 | |
| Decoroso Rosales | Nacionalista Party | 1,600,255 | 31.71 | |
| Diosdado Macapagal | Liberal Party | 1,454,200 | 28.82 | |
| Juan Chioco | Nacionalista Party | 1,452,693 | 28.79 | |
| Camilo Osías | Liberal Party | 1,388,137 | 27.51 | |
| Geronima Pecson | Liberal Party | 1,340,800 | 26.57 | |
| Macario Peralta Jr. | Liberal Party | 1,207,495 | 23.93 | |
| Enrique Magalona | Liberal Party | 1,086,054 | 21.52 | |
| Pio Pedrosa | Liberal Party | 919,302 | 18.22 | |
| William Chiongbian | Liberal Party | 884,077 | 17.52 | |
| Alfredo Abcede | Federal Party | 22,769 | 0.45 | |
| Concepcion R. Lim de Planas | Nacionalista Party | 10,245 | 0.20 | |
| Vicente A. Rafael | Independent | 4,551 | 0.09 | |
| Filemon Blay | Independent | 1,179 | 0.02 | |
| Praxedes Floro | Independent | 1,081 | 0.02 | |
| Total | 25,629,034 | 100.00 | ||
| Total votes | 5,046,488 | – | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,487,061 | 77.79 | ||
One seat was up for election to fill its vacancy created by Carlos P. Garcia's election as vice president in 1953. Unlike the regular election, this is held under the first past the post system.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roseller T. Lim | Nacionalista Party | 1,102,979 | 61.40 | |
| Simeon Toribio | Liberal Party | 688,913 | 38.35 | |
| Avelino P. Garcia | Independent | 4,378 | 0.24 | |
| Total | 1,796,270 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 1,796,270 | 35.59 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 3,250,218 | 64.41 | ||
| Total votes | 5,046,488 | – | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,487,061 | 77.79 | ||
This includes the result of the special election under "seats after," but not on other columns.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | +/– | Seats | |||||
| Up | Before | Won | After | +/− | |||||
| Nacionalista Party | 17,319,389 | 63.92 | +24.09 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 23 | +6 | |
| Liberal Party | 8,861,244 | 32.71 | −3.26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | −4 | |
| Federal Party | 906,846 | 3.35 | +3.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independent | 6,811 | 0.03 | +0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Citizens Party | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Vacant | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −1 | ||||
| Total | 27,094,290 | 100.00 | – | 8 | 24 | 8 | 24 | 0 | |
| Total votes | 5,046,488 | – | |||||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,487,061 | 77.79 | |||||||
| Source: Dieter Nohlen; Florian Grotz; Christof Hartmann; Graham Hassall; Soliman M. Santos (15 November 2001). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook: Volume II: South East Asia, East Asia, and the South Pacific. ISBN 9780199249596. & Julio Teehankee. "Electoral Politics in the Philippines" (PDF). quezon.ph. | |||||||||
