1791 French legislative election

French legislative elections were held in September 1791 to elect the Legislative Assembly and was the first ever French election. However, only citizens paying taxes were allowed to vote. A plurality of the elected candidates were independents, but almost all were affiliated with the three political factions emerging in the new legislative assembly; the Marais, the Feuillants and the Jacobins (Montagnards, since they occupied the most elevated in the assembly). The factions were only vaguely affiliated to an organized program. The Feuillants did, however, support a constitutional monarchy, the Girondists a moderate republican policy and the Cordeliers a radical democratic constitution, supported by the lower classes. These factions preceded the later dominant factions: the Jacobin, the Girondists and the Marais party, consisting mainly of moderates.

1791 French legislative election

29 August and 5 September 1791
All 745 seats to the Legislative Assembly
Turnout	4,300,000
Leader Nicolas de Condorcet Bernard Germain de Lacépède Jacques Pierre Brissot Party Constitutional Feuillant Jacobin Leader's seat Seine Seine Seine Seats won 345 264 136 Popular vote 1,978,000 1,505,000 774,000 Percentage 46.3% 35.4% 18.3%
Composition of the Legislative Assembly
Elected President of the Assembly Claude-Emmanuel de Pastoret Constitutional

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Constitutionals	1,978,000	46.3%	345
	Feuillants	1,505,000	35.4%	264
	Jacobins	774,000	18.3%	136
Total		4,300,000[1]	100%	745

References

1. Jacques Godechot (1965). Les Révolutions (1770-1799). PUF. pp. 306–309.

• Election-Politique