Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 27 October 1929.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p471 The Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants, emerged as the largest party, winning 46 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 24 seats in the Senate. Voter turnout was 90.2% in the Chamber election and 78.8% for the Senate.Nohlen & Stöver, p472 The rightward shift of the 1925 elections was reversed, with moderate centre-left groups (Social Democrats and Czechoslovak National Socialists) increasing their vote shares whilst the Communist Party suffered a set-back.
Background The 1929 election took place at a time of relative prosperity, just before the Great Depression.
The Communist Party was the sole multinational political party in the country at the time. It had emerged as a major force in the 1925 election and had around 150,000 members in 1928. In 1929 leadership shifted to a younger generation and a major purge of party ranks took place.
The Czechoslovak National Democrats contested the election in Slovakia together with the Slovak National Party led by Martin Rázus. Nevertheless, relations between Rázus and the leader of the National Democrats in Slovakia Milan Ivanka were strained, as the former was fiercely autonomist and the latter a strong supporter of Czechoslovak nationhood.
In Slovakia, Hlinka's Slovak People's Party resigned from the coalition government on 8 October 1929. The move followed a long controversy around the legal case of the party newspaper editor Vojtech Tuka, who was sentenced for espionage and treason on 5 October 1929. The Tuka affair had resulted in an internal rift in the party, with the expelled anti-Tuka faction (led by Juriga and Tománek) setting up their own Juriga's Slovak People's Party.
Results Hlinka's Slovak People's Party saw a decline compared to the 1925 vote, being reduced from 23 seats to 19. One interpretation is that two years of government participation without achieving Slovak autonomy had weakened the party. Moreover, the party had an ambiguous stance during the Tuka affair. The Juriga faction failed to make any impact in the election.
The Czechoslovak Social Democrats won five seats from Slovakia, an increase by three seats compared to the 1925 election. The Communist Party on the other hand retreated from 5 seats in Slovakia, compared to 8 seats in 1925. Magyar and German parties won 9 seats from Slovakia.
The Czechoslovak National Socialists, which lacked widespread support in the area, managed to win two seat from Slovakia. This was the best result for the party in Slovakia during the years of the First Republic. Another Czech party trying to build a base in Slovakia was the Czechoslovak People's Party, which managed to get its local leader Martin Mičura elected.
The Jewish Party, which had failed to win representation in 1925, managed to win two seats through an alliance with three Polish parties. Its deputies were Ludvík Singer from Bohemia and Julius Reiz from Slovakia.
General Radola Gajda's list ('League against Bound Tickets'), which called for the formation of a corporativist state, failed to make a major headway but won three seats (Gajda, Jiří Stříbrný and Karel Pergler). Gajda's political line was fascist, anti-Semitic and anti-German.
Senate
Chamber of Deputies
By province
PartyBohemiaMoravia-SilesiaSlovakiaSubcarpathianRus'Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes% Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants524,57813.56224,52212.32278,97919.5477,41929.07 Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party535,35813.84269,67414.79135,5069.4922,9248.61 Czechoslovak National Socialist Party535,74013.85177,5959.7443,9683.0810,0253.76 Communist Party of Czechoslovakia398,26010.30162,1368.89152,24210.6640,58215.24 Czechoslovak People's Party255,8776.62321,93617.6636,5482.568,9793.37 German Social Democratic Workers' Party387,06010.01114,8776.304,8240.34–– Hlinka's Slovak People's Party9620.0220,4061.12403,68328.27–– German Electoral Coalition288,9727.4790,5604.9713,7040.963,2181.21 Czechoslovak National Democracy200,9955.2056,1983.0853,7453.7648,60918.25 German Christian Social People's Party and German Commercial Party221,9455.74126,1216.92––– Czechoslovak Traders' Party176,1884.5677,5394.2530,1342.117,3482.76 Provincial Christian Socialist, Hungarian National Party and Zipser German Party––––226,91715.8930,45511.44 German National Socialist Workers' Party136,3843.5367,7263.72–––– German National Party and Sudeten German Rural League124,2553.2164,9323.56–––– Electoral Union of Polish and Jewish Parties13,6990.3540,4102.2233,6792.3616,7686.30 League Against Bound Tickets60,8371.578,2030.451,8100.13–– Provincial Party of Smallholders, Entrepreneurs and Workers––––6,9010.48–– All German People's Party of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia6,6720.17–––––– Juriga's Slovak People's Party––––5,3950.38––Invalid votes52,178–20,881–29,233–7,732–Total votes cast3,919,9601001,843,7161001,457,268100274,059100Registered voters/turnout4,251,92292.191,999,57892.211,621,32989.88310,63388.23Source: Manuel Statistique de la Republique TchecoslovaqueManuel Statistique de la Republique Tchecoslovaque. IV. 1932. Prague. Annuaire Statistique de la Republique Tchecoslovaque. pp. 400–402
By electoral district Prague
PartyI. Section AI. Section BVotes%Votes% Czechoslovak National Socialist Party104,77121.12117,64122.08 Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants88,12017.7695,53617.93 Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party79,98116.1292,91117.44 Communist Party of Czechoslovakia58,90511.8757,99810.89 Czechoslovak People's Party45,7159.2152,2629.81 Czechoslovak National Democracy48,1509.7044,7968.41 Czechoslovak Traders' Party29,6385.9732,9746.19 League Against Bound Tickets23,1254.6623,0674.33 German Electoral Coalition7,9711.617,5581.42 United Jewish and Polish Parties4,0690.822,7950.52 German Social Democratic Workers' Party2,2950.462,3760.45 German Christian Social People's Party1,7020.341,4320.27 German National Socialist Workers' Party7560.158320.16 German National Party9680.205780.11 Total valid votes496,166100532,756100Source: Manuel Statistique
NationalityIA (%)IB (%)Czechoslovak parties84.5586.19 Communists 11.8710.89German parties2.762.40Polish-Jewish parties0.820.52Source: Manuel Statistique
Hradec Králové Josef Adámek (Czechoslovak People's Party) was elected from Pardubice electoral district.Poslanecké sněmovny. ADÁMEK Josef
PartyII. PardubiceIII. Hradec KrálovéVotes%Votes% Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants57,65421.5649,14616.50 Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party49,86318.6538,99013.09 Czechoslovak National Socialist Party41,75615.6241,74214.02 Czechoslovak People's Party41,21315.4130,74310.32 Czechoslovak Traders' Party16,8616.3120,3066.82 German Social Democratic Workers' Party9,0303.3825,9608.72 Communist Party of Czechoslovakia15,9555.9718,6006.25 German Electoral Coalition12,3684.6320,2216.79 German Christian Social People's Party7,0322.6321,0887.08 Czechoslovak National Democracy10,1863.8115,5945.24 German National Socialist Workers' Party1,7130.648,6722.91 German National Party1,0830.414,5131.52 League Against Bound Tickets1,7210.641,7880.60 Hlinka's Slovak People's Party9620.36 United Jewish and Polish Parties 4700.16 Total valid votes267,397100297,833100Source: Manuel Statistique
NationalityII (%)III (%)Czechoslovak parties82.3666.58German parties11.6827.01Communists 5.976.25 Polish-Jewish parties0.000.16Source: Manuel Statistique
Mladá Boleslav Amongst the deputies elected from the Česká Lípa 5th electoral district were Ernst Grünzner (DSAP), Irene Kirpal (DSAP), Josef Schweichhart (DSAP), Josef Kleibl (DNP) and Hans Krebs.
PartyIV. Mladá BoleslavV. Česká LípaVotes%Votes% German Social Democratic Workers' Party22,1224.9490,12625.74 Communist Party of Czechoslovakia57,40612.8242,01912.00 German Electoral Coalition26,7865.9867,77819.35 Czechoslovak National Socialist Party73,55516.4312,0903.45 German Christian Social People's Party27,3586.1150,55814.44 Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants71,69616.022,6560.76 German National Socialist Workers' Party29,4756.5834,0059.71 Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party46,90710.4810,5033.00 German National Party15,5673.4833,0659.44 Czechoslovak People's Party27,2696.091,4330.41 Czechoslovak Traders' Party25,2805.651,6430.47 Czechoslovak National Democracy20,2694.532,8430.81 League Against Bound Tickets3,5400.796280.18 United Jewish and Polish Parties3940.098550.24Total valid votes447,624100350,202 100Source: Manuel Statistique
NationalityIV (%)V (%)German parties27.1078.68Czechoslovak parties59.999.08Communists 12.8212.00Polish-Jewish parties0.090.24Source: Manuel Statistique
Louny
PartyVI. LounyVII. Karlovy VaryVotes%Votes% German Social Democratic Workers' Party66,08714.12106,49434.37 Communist Party of Czechoslovakia74,48715.9137,29812.04 German Electoral Coalition31,2976.6949,08515.84 Czechoslovak National Socialist Party63,26313.513,9071.26 German Christian Social People's Party25,0485.3540,69813.13 Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party60,82312.992,9740.96 German National Socialist Workers' Party32,3586.9125,7728.32 German National Party19,4264.1531,76410.25 Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants38,5798.241,8820.61 Czechoslovak National Democracy23,6655.061,5310.49 Czechoslovak Traders' Party18,1283.876640.21 Czechoslovak People's Party10,2282.183720.12 Pangerman Party of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia6,6722.15 United Jewish and Polish Parties2,6970.587730.25 League Against Bound Tickets2,0540.44Total valid votes468,140100309,886100Source: Manuel Statistique
NationalityVI (%)VII (%)German parties37.2184.06 Czechoslovak parties46.303.66 Communists 15.9112.04Polish-Jewish parties0.580.25 Source: Manuel Statistique
Plzeň
PartyVIII. PlzeňIX. České BudějoviceVotes%Votes% Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party115,32028.1537,08612.87 Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants55,97513.6663,33421.98 Czechoslovak National Socialist Party42,95610.4934,05911.82 German Electoral Coalition43,26010.5622,6487.86 German Social Democratic Workers' Party41,98610.2520,5847.14 German Christian Social People's Party23,3415.7023,6888.22 Czechoslovak People's Party17,4044.2529,23810.15 Communist Party of Czechoslovakia17,9024.3717,6906.14 Czechoslovak National Democracy20,4835.0013,4784.68 Czechoslovak Traders' Party15,7533.8514,9415.19 German National Party11,1892.736,1022.12 League Against Bound Tickets2,4720.602,4420.85 German National Socialist Workers' Party2,8010.97 United Jewish and Polish Parties1,6460.40Total valid votes409,687100288,091100Source: Manuel Statistique
NationalityVI (%)VII (%)Czechoslovak parties65.9967.54 German parties29.2426.32Communists 4.376.14Polish-Jewish parties0.400.00Source: Manuel Statistique
Brno Amongst the deputies elected from the Jihlava 10th electoral district were Johann Wagner (German Electoral Coalition), Erwin Zajicek (German Christian Social People's Party) and Viktor Stern (Communist Party).