1955 Philippine Senate election

1955 Philippine general election

← 1953 November 8, 1955 1957 →
8 (of the 24) seats in the Senate and 1 mid-term vacancy 13 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Eulogio Rodriguez Diosdado Macapagal (lost) Party Nacionalista Liberal Seats before 15 4 Seats after 21 0 Seat change 6 4 Popular vote 17,319,389 7,395,988 Percentage 67.6% 28.9% Swing 27.7% 7.1%
Senate President before election Eulogio Rodriguez Nacionalista Elected Senate President Eulogio Rodriguez Nacionalista

A senatorial election in the Philippines was held on November 8, 1955. This was a midterm election, the date when the winners took office falling halfway through President Ramon Magsaysay's four-year term.

Summary[edit]

Since Magsaysay was very popular midway through his term, there were 10 candidates who ran under the Nacionalista banner. His adoptive Nacionalista Party continued to grow in strength with the absorption of their erstwhile coalition partner, the Democratic Party; but a pillar of the NP could not hide his opposition to the president. Senator Claro M. Recto, one of those who actively sought the adoption of the former Defense Secretary into the NP fold in 1953, had grown critical of Magsaysay, calling him a “banana dictator” and “American puppet,” among other unflattering names. In retaliation, Magsaysay refused the inclusion of Recto into the NP Senate slate of 1955, prompting the Batangueño leader to seek support for his candidacy with the Liberals.

Though Lorenzo Tañada of the NCP had cooperated with the NP in 1953, Recto became the first “guest candidate” in Philippine electoral history, when he was included in the Liberal Party lineup but did not resign his membership as a Nacionalista.^[1]

Special elections[edit]

There was a special election held for the vacant seat of Senator Carlos P. Garcia after he won as Vice President in 1953. Roseller T. Lim won and served the unexpired term of Garcia from 1955 to 1957.

Retiring incumbents[edit]

Liberal Party[edit]

1. Tomas Cabili
2. Justiniano Montano

Mid-term vacancy[edit]

1. Esteban Abada (Liberal), died on December 17, 1954

Results[edit]

The Nacionalista Party won all eight seats contested in the general election, and won the one seat contested in the special election.

Nacionalistas Quintin Paredes, Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo Sumulong both defended their Senate seats. Paredes and Sumulong were former Liberals who ran as Nacionalistas in this election. The two Liberal senators who defended their seats were defeated: Enrique Magalona and Macario Peralta.

Five winners are neophyte Nacionalista senators: Decoroso Rosales, Domocao Alonto, Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo, Pacita Madrigal-Warns, and Pedro Sabido. Madrigal-Warns became the only woman in the Senate.

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Key:

• ‡ Seats up
• + Gained by a party from another party
• √ Held by the incumbent
• * Held by the same party with a new senator
• ^ Vacancy

Per candidate (general election)[edit]

Special election[edit]

One seat was up for election to fill its vacancy created by Carlos P. Garcia's election as vice president in 1953. Unlike the regular election, this is held under the first past the post system.

Per party[edit]

This includes the result of the special election under "seats after," but not on other columns.

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats
					Up	Before	Won	After	+/−
	Nacionalista Party	17,319,389	63.92	+24.09	3	17	8	23	+6
	Liberal Party	8,861,244	32.71	−3.26	4	4	0	0	−4
	Federal Party	906,846	3.35	+3.33	0	0	0	0	0
	Independent	6,811	0.03	+0.01	0	0	0	0	0
	Citizens Party				0	1	0	1	0
Vacant					1	1	0	0	−1
Total		27,094,290	100.00	–	8	24	8	24	0
Total votes		5,046,488	–
Registered voters/turnout		6,487,061	77.79
Source: Dieter Nohlen; Florian Grotz; Christof Hartmann; Graham Hassall; Soliman M. Santos (15 November 2001). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook: Volume II: South East Asia, East Asia, and the South Pacific. ISBN 9780199249596. & Julio Teehankee. "Electoral Politics in the Philippines" (PDF). quezon.ph.

See also[edit]

• Commission on Elections
• 3rd Congress of the Philippines

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website of the Commission on Elections