1912 Chinese National Assembly election

The 1912 Chinese National Assembly elections, held in December 1912 to January 1913, were the first elections for the new founded National Assembly of China, which is a bicameral parliament with a Senate and a House of Representatives.

1912 Chinese National Assembly elections

December 1912 − January 1913
All 870 seats in the National Assembly (274 seats in the Senate and 596 seats in the House of Representatives)
Leader Song Jiaoren Li Yuanhong Party Nationalist Republican Senate 132 46 House 269 120   Leader Zhang Binglin Tang Hualong Party Unity Democratic Senate 6 8 House 18 16
Premier before election Zhao Bingjun Nonpartisan Elected Premier Zhao Bingjun Nonpartisan

Overview

The poll was indirect as voters chose some 30,000 electors who chose about 2,000 members of the provincial assemblies and 596 members of the House of Representatives. This system caused instances of bribery.

The 274-member Senate was elected by the provincial assemblies which had themselves been elected in 1909 during the Qing dynasty.

Adult males over the age of 21, who were educated or owned property and paid taxes, and who could prove two-year residency in a particular county could vote.[1] An estimated 40 million, 4-6% of China's population were registered for the election.[2] This is an increase from the size of the electorate in the 1909 Chinese provincial elections, when less than 1% of the population was enfranchised.

The president had to pick the 64 members representing Tibet, Outer Mongolia, and Overseas Chinese due to the fact that the government in Beijing did not exercise enough control over these populations to organize elections.

Despite the compromises, this election had the participation of over 300 civic groups and was the first and most competitive nationwide election in Chinese history.

The Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) led by Song Jiaoren won a plurality in both houses of the assembly and expected to become the Premier.[2] After losing the election, the Republican, Unity, and Democratic (formerly Constitutionalist) parties merged into the Progressive Party with Liang Qichao as leader. The Progressive Party became the main rival to the Nationalists.

Song was assassinated on 20 March 1913. When the assembly convened for the first time on April 8 amid heated debate over the assassination, the Nationalists were divided over solutions on how to deal with Yuan Shikai, the provisional president who was suspected of the crime. On 12 July, Sun Yat-sen led a faction into rebellion against Yuan. However, the Second Revolution but was completely defeated within two months.

The National Assembly members were compromised by threats and bribes from Yuan. He confined them and forced them to elect him formal president in the October presidential election. Next, he outlawed the Nationalists and expelled them from the assembly. Without a quorum, it could not convene so Yuan disbanded it on 10 January 1914.

Voter and seat distributions

The inaugural meeting of the National Assembly in April 1913.

Electoral district	Chinese	Pinyin	Population	Voters	%	House Seats	Senate Seats
Chihli	直隸省	Zhílì	25,932,133	9,195,757	35.46	46	10
Fengtien	奉天省	Fèngtiān	12,133,303	896,408	7.39	16	10
Kirin	吉林省	Jílín	5,580,030	108,835	1.95	10	10
Heilungkiang	黑龍江省	Hēilóngjiāng	2,028,776	288,234	14.21	10	10
Shantung	山東省	Shāndōng	30,987,853	1,368,184	4.42	33	10
Honan	河南省	Hénán	35,900,038	1,688,632	4.70	32	10
Shansi	山西省	Shānxī	12,269,386	2,588,068	21.10	28	10
Kiangsu	江蘇省	Jiāngsū	32,282,781	1,939,386	6.01	40	10
Anhwei	安徽省	Ānhuī	16,229,052	1,450,901	8.94	27	10
Kiangsi	江西省	Jiāngxī	23,987,317	4,986,883	20.79	35	10
Fukien	福建省	Fújiàn	15,849,296	1,283,348	8.10	24	10
Chekiang	浙江省	Zhèjiāng	21,440,151	1,184,629	5.53	38	10
Hupeh	湖北省	Húběi	25,590,308	5,670,370	22.16	26	10
Hunan	湖南省	Húnán	27,390,230	1,277,414	4.66	27	10
Shensi	陝西省	Shǎnxī	10,271,096	1,395,622	2.98	21	10
Kansu	甘肅省	Gānsù	4,989,907	148,526	2.98	14	10
Sinkiang	新疆省	Xīnjiāng	2,000,000	9,506	0.48	10	10
Szechwan	四川省	Sìchuān	48,129,596	1,729,368	3.59	35	10
Kwangtung	廣東省	Guǎngdōng	28,010,560	1,966,516	7.02	30	10
Kwangsi	廣西省	Guǎngxī	8,746,747	2,731,717	31.23	19	10
Yunnan	雲南省	Yúnnán	9,466,965	233,398	2.47	22	10
Kweichow	貴州省	Guìzhōu	9,665,227	792,290	8.20	13	10
Mongolia	蒙古選舉會	Ménggǔ	—	—	—	27	27
Tibet	西藏選舉會	Xīzàng	—	—	—	10	10
Tsinghai	青海選舉會	Qīnghǎi	—	—	—	3	3
Oversea Chinese	華僑選舉會	Huáqiáo	—	—	—	0	6
Central Society	中央學會	—	—	—	—	0	8
Total			406,880,486	42,933,992	10.50	596	274

Results

Party		Seats
		Senate	House	Total	Percentage
	Nationalist Party	132	269	392	45.06
	Republican Party	46	120	175	20.11
	Unity Party	6	18	24	2.76
	Democratic Party	8	16	24	2.76
	Multi-party candidates	38	147	185	21.26
	Nonpartisan	44	26	70	8.05
Totals		274	596	870	100.00

Presidential elections in National Assembly

An important function of the National Assembly under the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China was to elect the President and Vice President of China. The following elections were held by the 1st National Assembly of Beiyang government.

Presidential elections by the National Assembly elected in 1912—13

Order	Presidential Election	President	Vice President	Note
1st	1913 Chinese presidential election	Yuan Shikai	Li Yuanhong	First formal presidential election in Chinese history
	1916 Chinese vice-presidential election	—	Feng Guozhang	To replace the vacancy of Li Yuanhong as he sworn in as the President after Yuan Shikai's death.
3rd	1923 Chinese presidential election	Cao Kun	—	Resumed session after First Zhili–Fengtian War

• The 2nd Presidential election was held by the 2nd National Assembly elected in 1918

See also

• 1909 Chinese provincial elections
• History of the Republic of China
• National Assembly (Beiyang government)
• History of the Kuomintang
• Progressive Party (China)
• History of Beijing

References

1. Cambridge History of China, Vol 12, Part 1: 222-223
2. Young, Ernest P. ""Politics in the Aftermath of Revolution: The Era of Yuan Shih-K'ai, 1912-16"". Cambridge History of China, Vol 12, Part 1. p. 222.

Bibliography

• Twitchett, Denis; Fairbank, John K, eds. (1983). The Cambridge History of China. Volume 12, Part 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-23541-9.