1879 Spanish General Election
20 April 1879 · The Restoration and the turno pacífico · 431 seats, 216 for a majority
A general election was held in Spain on 20 April 1879 (for the Congress of Deputies), and on 3 May 1879 (for the Senate), to elect the members of the 1st Cortes under the Spanish Constitution of 1876, during the Restoration period. All 431 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
A turno pacífico election: the result was largely arranged in advance through the Interior Ministry's encasillado and enforced locally by caciques. The recorded majorities describe the system, not free voting.
Prime Minister before
Arsenio Martínez Campos
Conservative
Prime Minister (continued)
Arsenio Martínez Campos
Conservative
Largest force
Conservative
288 of 431 seats
Turnout
65.3%
The result
| Share of the Congress | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Antonio Cánovas del Castillo | 288 | — | 402.357 | 64.7% | — | |
| Liberal Left | Práxedes Mateo Sagasta | 64 | — | 139.314 | 22.4% | — | |
| Parliamentary Centre | Manuel Alonso Martínez | 13 | — | 20.473 | 3.3% | — | |
| Moderate | Alejandro Pidal y Mon | 11 | — | 16.501 | 2.7% | — |
55 further seats went to parties and independents outside the main contenders listed above.