1798 French legislative election
Open-knowledge reference entry
Legislative elections were held in France between 9 and 18 April 1798 to elect one-third of the members of the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients, the lower and upper houses of the legislature, as well as 201 vacant seats. They marked the beginning of the end of the French far-left and rise of the anti-Montagnard and anti-Jacobin groupings. The 1798 elections were partially invalidated by the passage of the Law of 22 Floréal Year VI which saw 106 Montagnards lose their seats by decree of the Council of Five Hundred.
Background
After the Coup of 18 Fructidor Year V, which saw the union of pro-Republican French parties (The Mountain, Jacobins, and Thermidorians), faced with the threat of a bourbon restoration, the reconstitution of the 'clubs' is authorised. With the new 'constitutional circles', these clubs would help public authorities to help rid any 'Monarchists' and support the Republican defence policy. However, this partially led to a backfire when terrorists, Babouvists, and supporters of the Constitution of the Year III, began attacking the Monarchists leading to open attacks in the streets, leading to the downfall of the extremist Jacobin club and rise of the moderate Thermidorians.
In order to prevent further monarchist gains, the new 'coup assembly' organised several laws by working with the Council of Ancients which would see a reduction of the royalist supporters. Among the many laws passed was the 'one thirds' vote, in which only one third of the assembly would be up for 're-election' while the other 2/3rd would be 'up for election' but the vote wouldn't really count. This was passed in the lower house, but when moved to the Ancients, it was denied by a very large majority and the law thrown away.
Results
The election of 1798 saw one-third of the legislative body up for election, or about 236 of the conventional members from 1795, as well as 190 seats vacant since the coup, and 11 seats of those who have died or resigned, leaving a total of 437 deputies.
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