| Election name | 1958 Northern Ireland general election |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Ongoing | no |
| Previous election | 1953 Northern Ireland general election |
| Previous year | 1953 |
| Previous mps | List of members of the 8th House of Commons of Northern Ireland |
| Elected mps | MPs elected |
| Next election | 1962 Northern Ireland general election |
| Next year | 1962 |
| Seats for election | All 52 seats to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 27 seats were needed for a majority |
| Election date | 20 March 1958 |
| Leader 1 | Viscount Brookeborough |
| Leader since 1 | 1 May 1943 |
| Party 1 | Ulster Unionist Party |
| Leaders seat 1 | Lisnaskea |
| Last election 1 | 38 seats, 48.6% |
| Seats 1 | 37[a] |
| Seat change 1 | 1 |
| Popular vote 1 | 106,177[b] |
| Percentage 1 | 44.0% |
| Swing 1 | 4.6% |
| Leader 2 | Joe Stewart |
| Leader since 2 | 1958 |
| Party 2 | Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland) |
| Leaders seat 2 | East Tyrone |
| Last election 2 | 7 seats, 10.8% |
| Seats 2 | 7[c] |
| Popular vote 2 | 36,013[b] |
| Percentage 2 | 14.9% |
| Swing 2 | 4.1% |
| Leader 3 | Tom Boyd |
| Leader since 3 | 1958 |
| Party 3 | Northern Ireland Labour Party |
| Leaders seat 3 | Belfast Pottinger |
| Last election 3 | 0 seats, 12.1% |
| Seats 3 | 4 |
| Seat change 3 | 4 |
| Popular vote 3 | 38,093[b] |
| Percentage 3 | 15.8% |
| Swing 3 | 3.0% |
| Posttitle | Prime Minister after election |
| Before election | Basil Brooke |
| Before party | Ulster Unionist Party |
| After election | Basil Brooke |
| After party | Ulster Unionist Party |
The 1958 Northern Ireland general election was called on 27 February by 1st Viscount Brookeborough[1] to be held on 20 March 1958.
Like all previous elections to the Parliament of Northern Ireland, it produced a large majority for the Ulster Unionist Party. The Northern Ireland Labour Party returned to the Commons after being wiped out in the 1949 election.
Campaign
Announcing the election, Viscount Brookeborough remarked that the election would be on the Border issue once more, noting that this was the ninth election on the same issue.[2] Unemployment was also an issue in the election with 50,000 people out of work in the province in that year.[2]
Results
| 37 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| UUP | Nationalist | Lab | Oth |
|}
Electorate: 891,064 (359,816 in contested seats); Turnout: 67.1% (241,501).
See also
References
- ^ "Six Counties Election on March 20". Evening Echo. 27 February 1958. p. 1.
- ^ "Border To Be Issue Again". Irish Independent. 28 February 1958. p. 9.
- Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results Archived 16 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine