French legislative election, 1898

French legislative election, 1898

← 1893 8–22 May 1898 1902 →
All 585 seats to the Chamber of Deputies
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Jules Méline Henri Brisson Jacques Piou Party Progressive Radical Ralliement Leader's seat Vosges Seine Haute-Garonne Seats won 254 178 96 Seat change 63 40 3 Popular vote 3,262,725 1,923,079 1,497,976 Percentage 45.30% 25.08% 19.51% Swing 2.75% 2.18% 1.19%
Composition of the Chamber of Deputies
Prime Minister before election Jules Méline Progressive Republican Elected Prime Minister Henri Brisson Radical Republican

Jules Méline
Progressive Republican

Henri Brisson
Radical Republican

The 1898 general election was held on 8 and 22 May 1898.

The government of Jules Méline, who had been premier since April 1896, had relied on the support of Conservatives, contrary to the convention of republican concentration, according to which no government should rely on the support of monarchists and Bonapartists in the Chamber of Deputies if it could not rely on a republican majority.

The election was dominated by the Dreyfus Affair, and saw several notable supporters of Dreyfus (Joseph Reinach, Jean Jaurès, Jules Guesde) lose their seats. Twenty-two professed anti-Semites were also elected, including Édouard Drumont. Overall, however, the election saw the defeat of Méline and his supporters: the Radicals were victorious, allowing Henri Brisson to form a republican government.