landslide victory

{{Short description|Election result wherein a party or candidate wins by a large margin}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{Excessive examples|date=December 2023}}

{{More citations needed|date=December 2023}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}

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.{{cite web |url= https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-a-landslide-election-3367585 |title=Landslide Victory: Definition in Elections |first=Tom |last=Murse |date=8 October 2020 |work=ThoughtCo |publisher= |access-date=18 October 2020}}{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Landslide|access-date=2024-11-07}}{{Cite Cambridge Dictionaries |Landslide |access-date=2024-11-07 }}{{Cite Collins Dictionary|Landslide|access-date=2024-11-07}} The term became popular in the 1800s 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. Such a decisive outcome can lead the winner to interpret it 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.{{Citation |title= Mandates, Parties, and Voters: How Elections Shape the Future |author1= James H Fowler |author2= Oleg Smirnov |page=15 |year= 2009}}

A combination of factors–such as 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. Such a victory may fundamentally reshape the political landscape of a country, for example Franklin D. Roosevelt's election as US president in 1932.{{Citation |title=Confrontation and Compromise: Presidential and Congressional Leadership, 2001-2006 |author1=Jason D. Mycoff |author2=Joseph August Pika |year=2008 |page=11 |publisher= Rowman & Littlefield Publishers}} In this imbalanced landscape, the winning party could implement policies more easily, facing little resistance, while the severely weakened opposition may struggle to perform essential checks and balances.

Notable examples

=Australia=

Local and mayoral elections:

State and territory elections:

  • 2021 Western Australian state electionMark 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.{{Cite web|last=|date=2021-03-12|title=Biggest State Election Landslides|url=https://armariuminterreta.site/2021/03/12/biggest-state-election-landslides/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-07|website=Armarium Interreta|language=en-AU|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312132526/https://armariuminterreta.site/2021/03/12/biggest-state-election-landslides |archive-date=12 March 2021 }}{{cite web|url=https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/wa/2021/03/14/west-australian-election-labor-landslide/|title=Mark McGowan claims WA election victory as Liberals all but wiped out|date=14 March 2021|work=The New Daily}}

File:2021_Western_Australian_state_election_-_Simple_Results.svg's landslide victory at the 2021 Western Australian state election. Seats won by Labor are in red, seats won by the Liberals are in blue and seats won by the Nationals are in green.]]

Federal elections:

  • 1929 – The Labor Party won 47 seats while the Coalition won just 24 seats.
  • 1943 – The Labor Party won 49 seats while the Coalition won just 23 seats.
  • 1966 – The Coalition won 82 seats while the Labor Party won just 41 seats.
  • 1975 – The Coalition won 91 seats while the Labor Party won just 36 seats.
  • 1996 – The Coalition won 94 seats while the Labor Party won just 49 seats.
  • 2013 – The Coalition won 90 seats while the Labor Party won just 55 seats.
  • 2025 – The Labor Party won 94 seats while the Coalition won just 43 seats.

= Barbados =

In Barbadian general elections, a landslide victory involves a large swing from one party to another as well as one party winning a large majority in parliament. Landslide victories have usually occurred after a long period of government from one particular party and a change in the popular mood.

= Brazil =

= Canada =

File:Canada 1958 Federal Election.svg

File:Canada 1984 Federal Election.svg

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:{{cite web | url=http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/lists/PartyStandingsHistoric.aspx?Menu=HOC-Representation&Section=03d93c58-f843-49b3-9653-84275c23f3fb | title=Party Standings in the House of Commons (1867-date) | publisher=Library of Parliament | work=PARLINFO | date=24 March 2016 | accessdate=5 April 2016}}

  • 1874 – The Liberals won 133 seats while the Conservatives won just 73 seats.
  • 1878 – The Conservatives won 137 seats while the Liberals won just 69 seats.
  • 1882 – The Conservatives won 139 seats while the Liberals won just 71 seats.
  • 1917 – The Conservatives won 153 seats while the Liberals won just 82.
  • 1935 – The Liberals won 171 seats while the Conservatives won just 39.
  • 1940 – The Liberals won 178 seats while the Progressive Conservatives won just 39.
  • 1949 – The Liberals won 191 seats while the Progressive Conservatives won just 41.
  • 1953 – The Liberals won 171 seats while the Progressive Conservatives won just 51.
  • 1958 – The Progressive Conservatives won 208 seats while the Liberals won just 48.
  • 1968 – The Liberals won 155 seats while the Progressive Conservatives won just 72.
  • 1984 – The Progressive Conservatives won 211 seats while the Liberals won just 40.
  • 1993 – The Liberals won 177 seats while the Bloc Québecois, which ran only in Quebec, won 54. The ruling Progressive Conservatives dropped from 154 to 2.

== Provincial examples ==

= Costa Rica =

= Croatia =

File:Croatia 1997 results runoff.PNG: the counties in blue voted for Tuđman, and Istria County voted for Gotovac (marked in yellow).]]

=Dominica=

=Finland=

= France =

Only include those after 1958.

== French Polynesia ==

= Grenada =

In Grenadian general elections, a landslide victory involves a large swing from one party to another as well as one party winning a large majority in parliament. Landslide victories have usually occurred after a long period of government from one particular party and a change in the popular mood.

= Hong Kong =

Legislative Council elections:

Local elections:

  • 2019 – The pro-democracy camp seized control of 17 of the 18 District Councils, tripling their seats from about 124 to 389. The pro-Beijing parties and independents won only 61 seats, a loss of 242 seats, received their largest defeat in history.

= Hungary =

= India =

= Italy =

  • 2005 Italian regional electionsThe Union centre-left coalition won the presidency in 12 out of 14 regions that were holding elections that year. After this election the centre-left controlled the presidency in 16 out of Italy's 20 regions.
  • 2020 Venetian regional election – Incumbent president of Veneto Luca Zaia (Lega) won carrying 76.79% of the vote, five times as many as his main opponent Arturo Lorenzoni's (PD) 15.72%.

= Jamaica =

In Jamaican elections, a landslide victory involves a large swing from one party to another as well as one party winning a large majority in parliament. Landslide victories have usually occurred after a long period of government from one particular party and a change in the popular mood.

=Malaysia=

==Federal election==

File:Malaysia election results map 2004.svg. Barisan Nasional won the constituencies in blue.]]

==State elections==

=Monaco=

Monaco is traditionally dominated by conservative parties with only two cases in which left-of-centre parties won any seats (1963 and 1973).

= New Zealand =

Until 1993, New Zealand used the traditional first-past-the-post system as in the U.K. to determine representation in its Parliament. Thus, landslide elections at that time were defined in an identical fashion, i.e. where one party got an overwhelming majority of the seats. Since 1996, New Zealand has used the mixed member proportional system as in Germany, making landslides much less likely.{{cite AV media | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uk44aykGg4 | title=Mixed Member Proportional Representation in New Zealand | date=17 July 2014 | people=Electoral Commission | medium=Video | location=Wellington}}

First past the post

  • {{NZ election link|1893}} – The Liberals won 51 seats and 57.8% of the vote while the Conservatives won 13 seats and just 24.5% of the vote.{{cite web |url= https://elections.nz/democracy-in-nz/historical-events/18901993-general-elections |title=1890–1993 general elections |publisher=Electoral Commission New Zealand |access-date=9 July 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230408001916/https://elections.nz/democracy-in-nz/historical-events/18901993-general-elections |archive-date=8 April 2023}}
  • {{NZ election link|1899}} – The Liberals won 49 seats and 52.7% of the vote while the Conservatives won 19 seats and just 36.6% of the vote.
  • {{NZ election link|1905}} – The Liberals won 58 seats and 53.1% of the vote while the Conservatives won 16 seats and just 29.7% of the vote.
  • {{NZ election link|1925}} – The Reform Party won 55 seats while the Labour & Liberal parties won just 23 seats combined.
  • {{NZ election link|1935}} – The Labour Party won 53 seats while the Coalition won just 19 seats.
  • {{NZ election link|1938}} – The Labour Party won 53 seats while the National Party won just 25 seats.
  • {{NZ election link|1990}} – The National Party won 67 seats while the Labour Party won just 29 seats.

= Philippines =

File:1953 Philippine presidential election results per province.pngIn 1941, the Nacionalista Party won the presidency, vice presidency, all seats in the Senate, and all but 3 seats in the House of Representatives. This was the biggest landslide in Philippine history. The legislators didn't serve until 1945 though, due to World War II.

Starting in 1987, the Philippines evolved into a multi-party system, and coupled with the introduction of party-list elections in 1998, no party was able to win a landslide, much less a majority of seats, in the House of Representatives since then. This has also meant, until 2022, that no presidential and vice presidential election winner won a majority of votes, although, in 1998, the winners were described as having landslide victories, despite winning less than a majority of votes, due to large winning margins. Senatorial landslides are more possible though in midterm elections, as voters are usually presented with two distinct choices. The 2022 presidential election was the first landslide since 1987.

Presidential and vice presidential elections

In the Philippines, while there are presidential tickets, the positions of president and vice president are elected separately.

  • 1935Manuel L. Quezon won with 68% of the vote. His running mate, Sergio Osmeña, won with 86% of the vote. Their second placers had 18% and 8% of the vote, respectively.
  • 1941Manuel L. Quezon won with 80% of the vote. His running mate, Sergio Osmeña, won with 90% of the vote. The second placers had 18% and 8% of the vote, respectively. This was the biggest landslide in an election where major opposition parties participated.
  • 1953Ramon Magsaysay won with 69% of the vote. His running mate, Carlos P. Garcia, won with 63% of the vote. Their opponents had 31% and 37% of the vote, respectively.
  • 1981Ferdinand Marcos won with 89% of the vote, and won in every province, with the main opposition coalition boycotting the election. This is the largest landslide in history.

Senate

House of Representatives

= Portugal =

; Legislative Elections

File:1991 Portuguese legislative election - Results.svg

File:2022 Portuguese legislative election - Vote Strength.svg

; Presidential Elections

; Azorean Regional Elections

  • {{ill|1980 Azorean regional election|pt|Eleições legislativas regionais nos Açores em 1980}} – Social Democratic Party led by Mota Amaral took 30 of the 43 seats and 57.4% of the votes, the Socialist Party would only score 27.2%
  • {{ill|1984 Azorean regional election|pt|Eleições legislativas regionais nos Açores em 1984}} – Social Democratic Party led by incumbent Azorean regional government president Mota Amaral took 28 of the 43 seats and 56.4% of the votes, the Socialist Party would only score 24.2%

; Madeiran Regional Elections

Alberto João Jardim, member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) was the president of the Madeira region from 1978 to 2015. During this period of time, landslide victories for the Social Democrats were the norm. In 2015, the party, now led by Miguel Albuquerque, also achieved a landslide victory.

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Landslide victories for the Social Democratic Party in Madeira

! rowspan=2|Year !! rowspan=2|% of votes
for the PSD !! colspan=3|2nd most voted party

Name% of votesMargin
{{ill|1976 election|pt|Eleições legislativas regionais na Madeira em 1976}}59.6%Socialist Party22.3%37.3%
{{ill|1980 election|pt|Eleições legislativas regionais na Madeira em 1980}}65.3%Socialist Party15.0%50.3%
{{ill|1984 election|pt|Eleições legislativas regionais na Madeira em 1984}}67.8%Socialist Party15.3%52.5%
{{ill|1988 election|pt|Eleições legislativas regionais na Madeira em 1988}}62.3%Socialist Party16.8%45.5%
{{ill|1992 election|pt|Eleições legislativas regionais na Madeira em 1992}}56.9%Socialist Party22.6%34.3%
1996 election56.9%Socialist Party24.8%32.1%
2000 election56.0%Socialist Party21.0%35.0%
2004 election53.7%Socialist Party27.4%26.3%
2007 election64.2%Socialist Party15.4%48.8%
2011 election48.6%CDS – People's Party17.6%31.0%
2015 election44.4%CDS – People's Party13.7%30.7%

= Saint Vincent and the Grenadines =

A landslide victory in the elections of St. Vincent and the Grenadines involves a large swing from one party to another as well as one party winning a large majority in parliament. Landslide victories have usually occurred after a long period of government from one particular party and a change in the popular mood.

= Samoa =

File:2006 Samoan general election (results by constituency).svg by constituency.]]

  • 2006 – The Human Rights Protection Party, led by Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi, won a landslide victory, winning 33 seats, an increase of ten. The main opposition party, the new Samoa Democratic United Party, won 10 seats.{{cite web |title=Elections in 2006 |url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2351_06.htm |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union|access-date=26 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317052152/http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2351_06.htm |archive-date=17 March 2022 |url-status=live}}
  • 2016 – The Human Rights Protection Party, led by Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi, won by a landslide victory, winning 35 of the 49 seats in the Legislative Assembly, gaining six seats. The main opposition party, the Tautua Samoa Party (led by Palusalue Faʻapo II) only won two seats, losing 11 seats. Independents won 13 seats.{{cite web |title=Legislative Assembly (Fono) |url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2351_E.htm |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union |access-date=26 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901054546/http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2351_E.htm |archive-date=1 September 2022 |url-status=live}}

= Slovakia =

File:2012 Slovak legislative election - Vote Strength.svg landslide victory in 2012.]]

= Sri Lanka =

Parliamentary

Presidential

= Taiwan =

File:2020ROCPresident.svg won 8.17 million votes, 57.1% of the votes cast, a historic landslide victory.]]

Presidential and Legislative Election held on the same day

= Trinidad and Tobago =

In Trinidad and Tobago's elections, a landslide victory involves a large swing from one party to another as well as one party winning a large majority in parliament. Landslide victories have usually occurred after a long period of government from one particular party and a change in the popular mood. Party politics and the political structure in Trinidad and Tobago has generally run along ethnic lines with most Afro-Trinidadians supporting the People's National Movement (PNM) and most Indo-Trinidadians supporting various Indian-majority parties, such as the current United National Congress (UNC) or its predecessors.

Tobago

= Ukraine =

= United Kingdom =

File:UK General Election, 1983.svg landslide victory in 1983.]]

File:UK General Election, 1997.svg landslide victory in 1997.]]

File:2019UKElectionMap.svg landslide victory in 2019.]]

File:2024 United Kingdom general election - Result.svg landslide victory in 2024.]]

In UK General Elections, a landslide victory involves winning a large majority in parliament and often goes with a large swing from one party to another as well. Landslide victories have usually occurred after a long period of government from one particular party and a change in the popular mood. In the past a majority of over 100 was regarded as the technical hurdle to be defined as a landslide, as that allows the government freedom to easily enact its policies in parliament. In more recent times, the label 'landslide' has been applied in numerous press articles to victories which would not previously have been regarded as such, for example the Conservative Party majority of 80 in 2019. Its current usage is more as political commentary rather than technical definition and is a reflection of the strength of the party's ability to put its programme through parliament.{{Cite web |last=Bush |first=Stephen |date=2021-06-08 |title=Despite all reports, the election wasn't a landslide – and Johnson may be about to discover that reality |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2019/06/despite-all-reports-election-wasn-t-landslide-and-johnson-may-be-about-discover |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2019-12-12 |title=Election results 2019: Boris Johnson returns to power with big majority |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50765773 |access-date=2022-12-19}}{{Cite news |last1=Holder |first1=Josh |last2=Voce |first2=Antonio |last3=Barr |first3=Caelainn |last4=Holder |first4=Josh |last5=Voce |first5=Antonio |last6=Barr |first6=Caelainn |title=How did Boris Johnson achieve his landslide victory? A visual guide |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/dec/13/boris-johnson-achieves-landslide-victory-visual-guide |access-date=2022-12-19 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |date=2013-10-10 |title=Inside the landslide: Thatcher's personal papers for 1983 opened to the public |url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/inside-the-landslide-thatchers-personal-papers-for-1983-opened-to-the-public |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=University of Cambridge |language=en}}

Large majorities, however, are not always the advantage they appear: Anthony Seldon gives a number of examples of the infighting arising from large majorities, claim a sweet spot of 35-50 which is enough to protect from by-elections and still comfortably pass legislation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/08/election-landslides-labour-tory-majority|title=Politicians dream of landslide victories – but they are a curse, not a blessing|first=Anthony|last=Seldon|work=The Guardian |date=8 June 2017}}

The largest landslide by any single party in the UK parliament, since universal suffrage was introduced, was the majority of 179 won by Tony Blair's Labour Party in 1997.

Notable landslide election results

  • 1906Henry Campbell-Bannerman led his Liberal Party to victory over Arthur Balfour's Conservative Party who lost more than half their seats, including his own seat in Manchester East, as a result of the large national swing to the Liberal Party (The 5.4% swing from the Conservatives to Liberals was at the time the highest ever achieved). The Liberal Party won 397 seats (an increase of 214) while the Conservative Party were left with 156 seats (a decrease of 246).{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/bbc_parliament/4694864.stm|title=1906: The Liberal landslide|date=9 February 2006|publisher=|via=bbc.co.uk}}{{cite book|title=Liberal Landslide: The General Election of 1906}}
  • 1945Clement Attlee led his Labour Party to victory over Winston Churchill's Conservative Party, a 12.0% swing from the Conservatives to Labour. Labour won 393 seats (an increase of 239) while the Conservative Party were left with 197 (a decrease of 190).{{cite book|title=Labour Landslide, July 5-19, 1945}}
  • 1966Harold Wilson led the Labour Party to win 364 seats (an increase of 47) and gained an overall majority of 98 while the Conservative Party won 253 seats (a decrease of 51).
  • 1983Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party to win a first landslide victory (her second term in office) with 397 seats (an increase of 38 seats) and gained an overall majority of 144 while the Labour Party led by Michael Foot won 209 seats (a decrease of 52).
  • 1987 – Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party to win a second landslide victory (her third term in office) with 376 seats (a decrease of 21 seats) and gained an overall majority of 102 while the Labour Party led by Neil Kinnock won 229 seats (an increase of 20).
  • 1997Tony Blair led the Labour Party to win a first landslide victory with 418 seats (an increase of 145) and gained an overall majority of 179 while the Conservative Party led by John Major won 165 seats (a decrease of 178). The swing from the Conservatives to Labour was 10.2% and was the second biggest general election victory of the 20th Century after 1931.{{cite book|title=Labour's Landslide: The British General Election 1997}}
  • 2001 – Tony Blair led the Labour Party to win a second landslide victory with 412 seats (a decrease of 6) and gained an overall majority of 167 while the Conservative Party led by William Hague won 166 seats (an increase of 1), making Tony Blair the first Labour Prime Minister to serve two consecutive full terms in office.{{Cite news|date=2010-08-03|title=The rise and fall of New Labour|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-10518842|access-date=2021-12-30}}
  • 2015 – In Scotland the Scottish National Party won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats.
  • 2019Boris Johnson led the Conservative Party to win a landslide victory (his second term in office) with 365 seats (an increase of 48, the party's highest seat count since 1987) and a majority of 80 seats, while the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn won 202 seats (a decrease of 60, the party's worst result since 1935). The election led to 54 Labour seats changing to Conservative predominantly in the Midlands and Northern England – some of which had been held by Labour since the first half of the 20th century.{{Cite web |title=Boris Johnson must fulfil his One Nation pledge |url=https://www.ft.com/content/007bff64-1c40-11ea-97df-cc63de1d73f4 |work=Financial Times |date=13 December 2019 |accessdate=2019-12-14}}
  • 2024Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to win a landslide victory with 411 seats (an increase of 209, the party's highest seat count since 2001) and a majority of 172 seats, while the Conservative Party led by Rishi Sunak won 121 seats (a decrease of 244, the party's worst ever result, exceeding the previous worst defeat of 1906.{{Cite web |title=UK election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/results |work=BBC |date=6 July 2024 |accessdate=2024-07-06}})

= United States =

File:ElectoralCollege1936.svg shows the scale of Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide victory.]]

File:ElectoralCollege1964.svg shows the scale of Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory.]]

File:ElectoralCollege1972.svg shows the scale of Richard Nixon's landslide victory.]]

File:ElectoralCollege1980.svg shows the scale of Ronald Reagan's landslide victory.]]

File:ElectoralCollege1984.svg shows the scale of Ronald Reagan's landslide victory.]]

A landslide victory in US Presidential elections occurs when a candidate has an overwhelming majority in the Electoral College.

{{clear}}

See also

References