A landslide victory is an election result in which the winning candidate or party achieves a decisive victory by an overwhelming margin, securing a very large majority of votes or seats far beyond the typical competitive outcome.Multiple sources: The term became popular in the 19th century to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geological landslide buries whatever is in its path. A landslide victory for one party is often accompanied by an electoral wipeout for the opposition, as the overwhelming support for the winning side inflicts a decisive loss on its rivals. What qualifies as a landslide victory can vary depending on the type of electoral system, as the term does not entail a precise, technical, or universally agreed-upon measurement. Instead, it is used informally in everyday language, making it subject to interpretation. Even within a single electoral system, there is no consensus on the exact margin that constitutes a landslide victory.
A landslide victory implies a powerful expression of popular will and a ringing endorsement by the electorate for the winner's political platform. A landslide can be viewed by a winning candidate or party as a mandate or a tacit authorization from the public to implement their proposed policies and pursue their agenda with confidence. Emboldened by the result, the winner may undertake ambitious reforms or significant policy shifts to reflect the electorate's desire for meaningful change. However, it can also indicate deep political polarization in an electorate or an unfair election.
A combination of factors, including charismatic leadership, a favorable shift in public sentiment driven by dissatisfaction with or support for the status quo, strategic electoral campaigning and a positive media portrayal, can create the conditions necessary for a landslide victory. A landslide may fundamentally reshape the political landscape of a country; one example of this phenomenon is Franklin D. Roosevelt's election as US president in 1932. In a post-landslide scenario, a winning party can sometimes implement its policies with little resistance, while its severely weakened opposition may struggle to perform essential checks and balances.
Notable examples
Argentina 2011 Argentine presidential election – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of the Justicialist Party was re-elected with over 54% of the vote.
Australia Local and mayoral elections: 2008 Brisbane City Council election – The Liberal Party won a landslide victory over the Labor Party. Campbell Newman was re-elected Lord Mayor of Brisbane with 66.1% of the two-party-preferred vote, with a swing of 13.7%. The LNP won 16 of the 26 wards.
2021 Mandurah City Council election – Rhys Williams was re-elected Mayor of Mandurah with 85% of the vote.
State and territory elections: 2021 Western Australian state election – Mark McGowan led the Labor Party to win 53 out of the 59 seats in the lower house. The Labor Party had a primary vote of 59.92% and a two-party-preferred vote of 69.68%. The National Party won 4 seats and the Liberal Party won 2 seats, making the National Party the official opposition, the first time they had held this status since the 1940s. To date, the election is the most decisive result at any Australian state or federal election since Federation, in terms of both percentage of lower house seats controlled by the governing party (89.8%) and two-party preferred margin. Federal:
2025 Australian federal election – Anthony Albanese led the Labor Party to win 94 of 150 seats in the House of Representatives – the highest number held by one party of any election held in the country. Both leaders Peter Dutton of the Liberal Party and Adam Bandt of the Greens lost their seats in their respective divisions of Dickson and Melbourne. The result came as a surprise to public polling which predicted that the Coalition could form government.
Bangladesh 2026 Bangladeshi general election – The Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a 2/3rds majority in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Brazil 2002 and 2006 Brazilian presidential elections – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party won with over 60% of the vote in the second rounds.
Bulgaria 2026 Bulgarian parliamentary election - Progressive Bulgaria won with 43.91% of the vote and 131 seats (121 were need for a majority), while the alliance GERB and Union of Democratic Forces came in second while collectively getting 13.18% of the vote and 39 seats.
Canada In a Canadian federal election, a landslide victory occurs when a political party gains a significant majority of the House of Commons of Canada.
Landslide victories may also occur during provincial elections, and territorial elections in Yukon. Landslide victories are not possible for territorial elections in the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, as its members are elected without reference to political parties, operating as a consensus government.
National landslide victories The following Canadian federal elections resulted in landslide victories: 1935 – The Liberals, led by William Lyon Mackenzie King, won 171 seats (an increase of 34) and gained a majority of 50, while the Conservatives, led by R. B. Bennett, won just 39 (a decrease of 98). 1940 – The Liberals, led by William Lyon Mackenzie King, won 179 seats (an increase of 6) and gained a majority of 56 seats while the Progressive Conservatives, led by Robert James Manion, won just 39 (unchanged from their previous share). 1949 – The Liberals, led by Louis St. Laurent, won 191 seats (an increase of 73) and gained a majority of 59, while the Progressive Conservatives, led by George A. Drew, won just 41 (a decrease of 25).
1958 – The Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, won 208 seats (an increase of 96) and gained a majority of 75, while the Liberals, led by Lester B. Pearson, won just 48 (a decrease of 57).
1984 – The Progressive Conservatives, led by Brian Mulroney, won 211 seats (an increase of 111) and gained a majority of 69, while the Liberals, led by John Turner, won just 40 (a decrease of 95). Mulroney is the only prime minister to have won a majority of seats in every single province. 1993 – The Liberals, led by Jean Chrétien, won 177 seats (an increase of 96) and gained a majority of 29, while the Bloc Québecois, led by Lucien Bouchard, which ran only in Quebec, won 54 (an increase of 44). The ruling Progressive Conservatives, led by Kim Campbell, won just 2 (a decrease of 154).
Chile 2013 Chilean presidential election – Michelle Bachelet of the Socialist Party won a second term with over 62% of the vote in the second round.
2025 Chilean general election - José Antonio Kast of the Republican Party of Chile won the election with 58% of the vote in the second round.
El Salvador
2024 Salvadoran presidential election – Nayib Bukele of Nuevas Ideas was re-elected with 84.65% of the vote, the largest margin for a presidential candidate in the country's democratic history. His party also won 54 out of 60 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
France 2002 French presidential election – Jacques Chirac of Rally for the Republic won re-election in the second round with over 80% of the vote.
Germany 1957 West German federal election – The CDU/CSU won an absolute majority.
Hungary
2026 Hungarian parliamentary election – The TISZA Party won in a historic landslide, securing at least 141 of 199 seats in the National Assembly, the largest percentage of seats ever won by a Hungarian political party in a free election.
India National election In the 1951–52, 1957, and 1962 Indian general elections, Jawaharlal Nehru's Indian National Congress secured landslide majorities in the Lok Sabha. In the 1971 and 1980 Indian general elections, Indira Gandhi's Indian National Congress secured landslide majorities in the Lok Sabha. 1984 Indian general election – The Indian National Congress led by Rajiv Gandhi was re-elected after winning over 400 seats in the lower house of India's Parliament. In the 2014 and 2019 Indian general elections, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party secured landslide majorities in the Lok Sabha.
State election In the 1989 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election the governing Sikkim Sangram Parishad won all of the 32 seats in the legislative assembly and secured 70.41% of the votes polled. In the 2004 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election the governing Sikkim Democratic Front won 31 of the 32 seats in the legislative assembly and secured 71.09% of the votes polled. In the 2009 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election the governing Sikkim Democratic Front won all of the 32 seats in the legislative assembly and secured 65.91% of the votes polled. In the 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election the governing National Democratic Alliance alliance won 206 of the 243 seats in the state in a landslide. The Janata Dal (United) won 115 seats on its own. No other political party could win enough seats to be recognised as official opposition in the state. In the 2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly election the Aam Aadmi Party won 67 of the 70 seats in the legislative assembly and secured 54.3% of the votes polled. In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance won 325 of the 403 seats in the legislative assembly and secured 39.67% of the votes polled. It remains one of the biggest mandates in the most populous state of India. In the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election the Aam Aadmi Party won 92 of the 117 seats in the legislative assembly and secured 42.01% of the votes polled. In the 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election the governing Bharatiya Janata Party won a landslide victory of 156 seats of the 182 seats in the state (85.7%), the most ever won by any party in Gujarat's history and securing 52.50% of the total votes polled. No other political party could win enough seats to be recognised as official opposition in the state. In the 2024 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election the governing Sikkim Krantikari Morcha won 31 of 32 seats in the legislative assembly and secured 58.38% of the votes polled. No other political party could win enough seats to be recognised as official opposition in the state. In the 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election the governing Bharatiya Janata Party led Maha Yuti alliance won 235 of the 288 seats in the state in a landslide. It was the biggest victory recorded in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party on its own won 132 of the 149 seats it contesting recording a 88.59 % win percentage. No other political party could win enough seats to be recognised as official opposition in the state. In the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election the governing Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance won 202 of the 243 seats in the state in a landslide. The Bharatiya Janata Party on its own won 89 of the 101 seats it contesting recording a 88.11 % win percentage. In the 2026 Assam Legislative Assembly election the governing Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance secured a landslide victory, securing 102 out of 126 seats. In the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, the Indian National Congress-led United Democratic Front (Kerala) won 102 out of 140 seats, winning with a 72.85% win percentage. In the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, the Bharatiya Janata Party – West Bengal secured 208 out of 294 seats, securing a landslide victory with a 70.74% win percentage.
Local election In 2025 Haryana local elections, in Faridabad Municipal Corporation, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Praveen Joshi polled 4,16,927 votes, securing roughly 80.6% of the valid votes in a contest against the Congress candidate (who received 1,00,075 votes). This margin of 3.16 lakh votes is cited as the highest-ever for a mayoral election in India.