Unseating
{{wiktionary|unseat}}
{{Short description|Political term about incumbents losing elections}}
Unseating is a political term which refers to a legislator who loses their seat in an election. A legislator who is unseated loses the right to sit in a legislative chamber. A landslide victory results in many legislators being unseated.
Canada
France
Germany
New Zealand
The only Prime Minister to lose their seat at an election was Sir Robert Stout in {{NZ election link year|1887}}.{{cite web |last=Morrell |first=William Parker |title=STOUT, Sir Robert, P.C., K.C.M.G. |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/stout-sir-robert-pc-kcmg/1 |publisher=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |access-date=2 July 2010 |date=22 April 2009}} At the {{NZ election link year|1893}} and {{NZ election link year|1919}} elections the Leader of the Opposition (William Rolleston and Sir Joseph Ward respectively) was defeated.{{DNZB|Gardner|Jim|1r17|Rolleston, William|31 July 2011}}{{DNZB|Bassett|Michael|2W9|Ward, Joseph George|26 November 2011||Michael Bassett}}
Russia
United Kingdom
Unseating influential Members of Parliament is a goal of opposition parties. MPs representing marginal constituencies are usually at higher risk of being unseated.
At the 1918 election following the First World War, former Prime Minister, the Liberal leader and leader of the opposition H. H. Asquith lost a seat he had held since 1886. A biographer said of this "the blow was crippling, a personal humiliation which destroyed his hope of exercising any influence on the peace settlement."{{cite book | last = Jenkins | first = Roy | author-link = Roy Jenkins | year = 1964 | title = Asquith | edition = first | pages= 479, 480|location = London | publisher = Collins | oclc = 243906913}}
Chris Patten, Chairman of the Conservative Party and Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein were unseated in 1992. Michael Portillo, widely expected to be the next Conservative leader, lost his seat at the 1997 general election, an event which coined the expression "Portillo moment".{{Cite web | title = My moment is yours, Ed Balls | last = Portillo | first = Michael | work = The Guardian | date = 6 May 2010 | accessdate = 31 May 2018 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/06/portillo-moment-ed-balls-tonight }} At the 2015 general election, Ed Balls and Simon Hughes were unseated in political upsets.{{Cite news|title=Unseating a political giant|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-35029858|access-date=2021-10-22}} In 2019, the Liberal Democrat leader, Jo Swinson, was unseated by the Scottish National Party.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50771123|title=Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson to step down|date=2019-12-13|work=BBC News|access-date=2019-12-13|language=en-GB}} At the 2024 general election, former Prime Minister Liz Truss, record number of Conservative MPs and cabinet members lost their seats.{{Cite web |title=Election results: Most significant things that happened overnight - what to know |url=https://news.sky.com/story/election-key-moments-farage-wins-shapps-loses-and-starmer-mobbed-by-supporters-13165924 |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Sky News |language=en}}
= Lists =
- List of MPs who lost their seat in the 1997 United Kingdom general election
- List of MPs who lost their seat in the 2010 United Kingdom general election
- List of MPs who lost their seat in the 2015 United Kingdom general election
- List of MPs who lost their seat in the 2017 United Kingdom general election
- List of MPs who lost their seat in the 2019 United Kingdom general election
- List of MPs who lost their seat in the 2024 United Kingdom general election
United States
When an incumbent Member of Congress runs for re-election they may be unseated in the general election. This is more likely if the politician represents a swing state or swing district.