1936 French legislative elections

French legislative election, 1936

← 1932 26 April and 3 May 1936 1945 →
All 610 seats to the Chamber of Deputies 306 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Léon Blum Édouard Daladier Louis Marin Party SFIO PRRRS FR and RIAS Leader's seat Narbonne Rhône Meurthe-et-Moselle Last election 132 seats 160 seats 59 seats Seats won 149 110 100 Seat change 17 50 41 Popular vote 1,955,306 1,422,611 1,475,793 Percentage 19.86% 14.45% 15.2% Swing 0.65% 4.73% 2.89%   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Pierre-Étienne Flandin (AD) Maurice Thorez Party AD-RI PCF Leader's seat Yonne Seine Last election 121 seats 10 seats Seats won 82 72 Seat change 39 62 Popular vote 2,089,166 1,502,404 Percentage 21.33% 15.26% Swing 1.89% 6.94%
Government before election Albert Sarraut II PRRRS (Republican coalition) Elected Government Léon Blum I SFIO (Popular Front)

Albert Sarraut II
PRRRS (Republican coalition)

Léon Blum I
SFIO (Popular Front)

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.

The Popular Front, composed of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), the Radical-Socialists, the French Section of the Communist International (SFIC), and miscellaneous leftists, won power from the broad Republican coalitions that had governed since the 6 February 1934 crisis. Léon Blum became President of the Council. Broad Republican coalitions had governed since the 6 February 1934 crisis: Government Gaston Doumergue II (Union Nationale, 272 days), Government Flandin I (204 days), Government Bouisson (3 days) and Government Laval IV (229 days).

For the first time, the Radical-Socialists were eclipsed on the left by the SFIO, while still keeping a considerable role in French politics.

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