Politics of Flanders - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

is both a cultural community

Flemish Community

The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...

and an economic region

Flemish Region

The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...

within the Belgian state

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, and has significant autonomy.

Historically, the contemporary Flemish community

Flemish people

The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...

(or nation, as some Flemings see it) grew out of the Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

southern part of the medieval XVII provinces

Seventeen Provinces

The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of Western Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held by...

of the Low Countries

Low Countries

The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....

. The contemporary Belgian Flanders area was divided within several feudal states. The most important states were the County of Flanders

County of Flanders

The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....

(except for its southernmost areas

Romance Flanders

Romance Flanders or Gallicant Flanders is the part of the county of Flanders where people speak Romance languages, like varieties of Picard. It currently straddles the border of France and Belgium.-Name:...

), the southern part of the Duchy of Brabant

Duchy of Brabant

The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...

(except for the area around Nivelles

Nivelles

Nivelles is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the old communes of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstreux....

) and the northern part

County of Loon

The County of Loon was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, lying west of the Meuse river in present-day Flemish-speaking Belgium, and east of the old Duchy of Brabant. The most important cities of the county were Beringen, Bilzen, Borgloon, Bree, Hamont, Hasselt, Herk-de-Stad, Maaseik, Peer and...

of the Bishopric of Liège

Bishopric of Liège

The Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium. It acquired its status as a prince-bishopric between 980 and 985 when Bishop Notger, who had been the bishop of Liege since 972, acquired the status of Prince-Bishop...

. Most of these states were united from 1384 to 1530 under the Burgundian Netherlands

Burgundian Netherlands

In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands refers to a number of Imperial and French fiefs ruled in personal union by the House of Valois-Burgundy and their Habsburg heirs in the period from 1384 to 1482...

Today, the Flemish community has a significant amount of political autonomy. Its institutions include the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Parliament

The Flemish Parliament constitutes the legislative power in Flanders, for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and a cultural community of Belgium The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: , and formerly called Flemish Council or Vlaamse Raad) constitutes the...

and a Flemish Government

Flemish government

The Flemish Government is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. It consists of up to a maximum of eleven ministers, chosen by the Flemish Parliament...

, both institutions of the region and community, with legislative powers for the matters prescribed by the Belgian constitution

Constitution of Belgium

The Constitution of Belgium dates back to 1831. Since then Belgium has been a parliamentary monarchy that applies the principles of ministerial responsibility for the government policy and the Trias Politica. The Constitution established Belgium as a centralised unitary state...

. All other powers rest with the federal layer, the Belgian Parliament and Government, or on the European layer (European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

).

Since 28 June 2007, the minister-president

Minister-President

A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...

of Flanders has been Kris Peeters

Kris Peeters

Kris Peeters is a Flemish politician and member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party who is currently Minister-President of Flanders, the northern region of Belgium....

(CD&V), leading a coalition of CD&V-N-VA, VLD

Flemish Liberals and Democrats

' , commonly known as Open VLD and also simply as the VLD, is a Flemish liberal political party in Belgium, created in 1992 from the former Party for Freedom and Progress and a few other politicians from other parties. The party led the government for three cabinets under Guy Verhofstadt from 1999...

-Vivant

Vivant

Vivant is a small Belgian social liberal party founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats . Both parties are founded on the principle of individualism and can be called liberal...

, and SP.A-Spirit.

Political system

Flanders is a part of the Belgian

Belgium

federal

Federation

A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...

parliamentary

Parliamentary system

A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....

representative democratic

Representative democracy

Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...

monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

, which itself is part of the European Union

European Union

. The political system in Flanders has an executive branch, the Flemish Government

Flemish government

The Flemish Government is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. It consists of up to a maximum of eleven ministers, chosen by the Flemish Parliament...

and a representative branch, the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Parliament

. The Minister-President of Flanders is the head of government

Head of government

Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...

. Flanders has a rather fragmented pluriform multi-party system with none of its political parties currently exceeding 1/4 of the votes. Politics is influenced by lobby groups, such as trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

s; mutual health insurrance organizations and business interests in the form of the VOKA

Voka

Voka is a small borough in Toila Parish, Ida-Viru County in northeastern Estonia....

, UNIZO

UNIZO

UNIZO is a Belgian organization of Self-Employed and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises ; it is mainly situated in the Flemish region of the Kingdom of Belgium. UNIZO wants to give SMEs a voice from the local up to the European level...

and some other employer's federations.

Institutional framework

European Union

legislation and the Belgian constitution form the major elements of the wider institutional environment. European Union legislation is said to currently define the scope and limits for 40% of new legislation. The Belgian constitution establishes the framework for the autonomy in both community and regional affairs. The two relevant Flemish parliamentary assemblies then immediately decided that the Flemish Community

Flemish Community

The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...

was to absorb all the competencies of the Flemish Region

Flemish Region

. Since then, the region has no 'distinctive' parliament, nor government. European Union law, Flemish legislation and the Belgian constitution thus form the primary source of law and the basis of the political system in Flanders.

Flemish Government

The executive branch of government consists of a limited number of ministers and a few secretaries of state

Secretary of State

Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....

("junior" ministers or smaller departments) drawn from the political parties

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

which, in practice, form the government coalition

Coalition government

A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...

. The ministers are appointed by the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Parliament

. The Cabinet is chaired by the Flemish Minister-President

Minister-President

. Ministers head executive departments of the government. Ministers must defend their policies and performance, in person, before the Chamber. The Flemish Government must receive and keep the confidence of the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Parliament

Provincial and local government

Flanders is divided into 5 provinces, plus the local Flemish institutions in Brussels (the 'Vlaamse Gemeenschaps-Commissie' (VGC), and around 300 municipalities

Municipalities of Belgium

Belgium comprises 589 municipalities grouped into five provinces in each of two regions and into a third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, comprising 19 municipalities that do not belong to a province...

. Provincial and local government are an exclusive competency of the regions. The provincial governments are primarily administrative units, and are politically weak. A governor is appointed by Flemish government, and approved by the Flemish parliament. One governor presides over each province. He or she is supported by an elected Provincial Council of 47 to 84 members, which sits only 4 weeks a year.

Municipal governments, on the other hand, are important political entities with significant powers, and a history of independence dating from medieval

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

times. Many national politicians have a political base in a municipality, often doubling as mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

or alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

in their own hometowns.

Electoral system

Several months before an election, each party forms a list of candidates for each district. Parties are allowed to place as many candidates on their "ticket" as there are seats available. The formation of the list is an internal process that varies with each party. The place on the list influences the election of a candidate, but its influence has diminished since the last electoral reform. Individual votes will get priority.

Political campaigns are relatively short, and there are restrictions on the use of billboards

Billboard (advertising)

A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...

. For all of their activities, campaigns included, political parties have to rely on government subsidies and dues paid by their members. An 'electoral expenditure' law restricts expenditure of political parties during an electoral campaign. Because of the huge public bureaucracy, the high politicisation of nominations, and the widely accepted practice that political nominees spend many man-hours paid for by all tax-payers for partisan electioneering, this arrangement favours the ruling political parties. Since no single party holds an absolute majority, the strongest party or party family will usually create a coalition with other parties to form the government.

Voting is compulsory; more than 90% of the population participates. Elections for the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Parliament

are normally held every five years. The elections coincide with those for the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

. Elections for municipal and provincial councils are held every six years. The next federal election will be held in 2011, the next community and regional elections are expected in 2009 and the next municipal and provincial elections in 2012.

Political parties in Flanders

Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

are many and varied. They operate in the Flemish region

Flemish Region

and in the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region. Francophone parties operate in Flemish Region

Flemish Region

only in a few areas bordering the latter. There are no major representative parties operating all over Belgium

Belgium

. Flemish politics is dominated by political parties representing the different ideologies that can be found everywhere in Flanders

Flanders

. There are no political parties specific for certain sub-regions.

From the creation of the Belgian state in 1830, and throughout most of the 19th century, two unified political parties dominated Belgian politics: the Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

Party (Church-oriented and conservative

Conservatism

Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...

) and the Liberal Party (anti-clerical

Anti-clericalism

Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious institutional power and influence, real or alleged, in all aspects of public and political life, and the involvement of religion in the everyday life of the citizen...

and progressive

Progressivism

Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...

). In the late 19th century the Socialist Party arose to represent the emerging industrial working class.

These three groups still dominate Belgian politics, but they have evolved substantially in character. In addition, several other parties were founded, notably the Vlaams Belang

Vlaams Belang

Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...

, a rightwing, anti-immigration and flemish-nationalistic party and currently the second most important party in Flanders, Volksunie, which split into the left-liberal SPIRIT and the right-conservative N-VA, for moderate Flemish nationalists, and Agalev, currently called Groen! for the Greens

Green politics

Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...

Catholics/Christian Democrats

After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Catholic (now Christian Democratic) Party severed its formal ties with the Church. It became a mass party of the centre.

In 1968, the Christian Democratic Party

Christian Social Party (Belgium, defunct)

The Christian Social Party was a Belgian Catholic political party, which existed from 1945 until 1968.-History:At the end of World War II, on 18–19 August 1945 the Christelijke Volkspartij-Parti Social Chrétien was founded under the presidency of August de Schryver as the successor to the...

, responding to linguistic tensions in the country, divided into two independent parties: the Parti Social Chrétien (PSC) in French-speaking Belgium and the Christelijke Volkspartij (CVP) in Flanders. The two parties pursue the same basic policies but have wholly separate organizations.

The CVP is the larger of the two, getting more than twice as many votes as the PSC. Following the 1999 general elections, the CVP was ousted from office, bringing an end to a 40-year term on the government benches. In 2001, the CVP changed its name to CD&V (Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams). The current chairwoman of the CD&V is Marianne Thyssen

Marianne Thyssen

Marianne Leonie Petrus Thyssen is a Belgian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Flanders with the CD&V/N-VA, a Vice-Chairwoman of the European People's Party and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.On 15 May 2008 she was...

Socialists/Social Democrats

The Socialist Party – Differently (SP.a, Socialistische Partij Anders) has shed nearly all of its early Marxist

Marxism

Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...

ideology. It is now primarily a social-democratic party, similar to labour-based parties like the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

Social Democratic Party

Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

. The Socialists have been part of several postwar governments, and have produced some of the country's most distinguished statesmen.

It was formerly known as the Socialistische Partij (SP), which in turn had branched off from the Belgische Socialistische Partij
Belgian Socialist Party
The Belgian Socialist Party was a democratic socialist party which existed in Belgium from 1945 to 1978.The BSP was founded by activists from the Belgian Labour Party , which was the first Belgian socialist party. It ceased to function during the Second World War, while Belgium was under Nazi...

(BSP), formed by former members of the Belgische Werklieden Partij
Belgian Labour Party
The Belgian Labour Party, called Belgische Werkliedenpartij in Dutch and Parti Ouvrier Belge in French, was the first socialist party in Belgium, founded in 1885.-History:...

(BWP). The Socialists split along linguistic lines in 1978. The Flemish Socialists changed their party's name to SP.a (Socialistische Partij Anders) in 2002. Caroline Gennez

Caroline Gennez

Caroline Gennez is a Belgian socialist politician and a former chairwoman of the Socialist Party – Different in Flanders.-Biography:...

is the current head of the Flemish Socialist Party.

As a reaction to the more centrist course of the SP.a, two former SP.a-representatives, Jef Sleeckx and Lode Van Outrive, formed, together with communist

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

and Trotskyist

Trotskyism

Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...

activists, a new socialist movement in 2006, the Committee for Another Policy

Committee for Another Policy

The Committee for Another Policy , abbreviated to CAP, is a Belgian left-wing political movement that was established in 2005, and became a political party since 2006.-Formation:...

Liberals/Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Party chiefly appeals to business-people, property owners, shopkeepers, and the self-employed, in general. In American terms the Liberals' economic positions would be considered to reflect a moderate conservative ideology.

The Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats

Flemish Liberals and Democrats

(OpenVLD, Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten), who opened up their ranks to Volksunie defectors some years ago, were the largest political force in Flanders during the nineties, but lost more than one third of their support after 7 years of liberal control of the post of prime minister by Guy Verhofstadt

Guy Verhofstadt

Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...

. The VLD is currently headed by Alexander De Croo

Alexander De Croo

Alexander De Croo is a Flemish liberal politician, economist and businessman. He was elected chairman of his political party on 12 December 2009.- Biography :...

.

Over the last decade, a number of parties originated, as break away parties from the VLD. These were Liberaal Appèl
Liberaal Appèl
The Liberal Appeal is a Flemish right-liberal political party.Founded on March 22, 2002 by the liberal MEP Ward Beysen as a secession of the VLD, mostly in Antwerp. The Liberaal Appèl was first a movement, then became a full-fledged political party on January 20, 2003...

, founded by Ward Beysen

Ward Beysen

Eduard Marie August "Ward" Beysen was a Belgian politician and well-known freemason. He held a degree in Dutch and history teaching, obtained in 1963 in Lier and started his political career in the seventies in the Flemish liberal party, the Party for Freedom and Progress , which was renamed...

, VLOTT

VLOTT

VLOTT is a Belgian right-wing liberal or fortuynist political party. The acronym VLOTT stands for Flemish Liberal Independent Tolerant and Transparent . It was founded on November 23, 2005 by ex-Flemish Liberals and Democrats member Hugo Coveliers...

, founded by Hugo Coveliers

Hugo Coveliers

Hugo F.V. Coveliers is a Belgian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives between 1985 and 1995 and from 1993 to 2003. Since 2003 he has been a member of the Belgian Senate...

and Lijst Dedecker, founded by Jean-Marie Dedecker

Jean-Marie Dedecker

Jean-Marie Louis Dedecker is a Belgian Flemish politician.In 1999 and 2003, Dedecker was directly elected to the Belgian Senate. In 2004 Dedecker ran for a seat in the Flemish Parliament, after taking his seat in the Flemish Parliament, Dedecker was elected by his colleagues as a community senator...

. These parties advocated classical liberal economics and a more rightwing approach to society, and accused the VLD of shifting fundamentally to the left.

Communists

The Kommunistische Partij
Communist Party (Flanders)
The Communist Party is a political party in Flanders, Belgium. It was founded in 1989 in the aftermath of the split of the Communist Party of Belgium along linguistic lines. The political secretary of the KP is Jaak Perquy.The KP publishes a newspaper, Agora...

(KP) is the successor in Flanders of the Kommunistische Partij van België
Communist Party of Belgium
Communist Party of Belgium was a political party in Belgium. The youth wing of KPB/PCB was known as the Communist Youth of Belgium. The party published Le Drapeau Rouge in French and De Roode Vaan in Dutch.- History :It was formed at a congress in Anderlecht on September 3-4 1921...

(KPB), the first communist

Communism

party in Belgium. This party was founded in 1921, but disappeared out of the Belgian Parliament

Belgian Federal Parliament

The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate . It sits in the Palace of the Nation .- Chamber of Representatives :...

after the elections of 1985

Belgian general election, 1985

The 13 October 1985 Belgian general elections was a Belgian election for the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and Belgian Senate....

.

The most successful Maoist

Maoism

Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...

movement to emerge in Flanders was Alle Macht Aan De Arbeiders (AMADA - All Power To The Workers) at the end of the 1960s

1960s

The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

during a time of students protests at the University of Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven

The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...

. In 1979 this movement evolved into the Partij van de Arbeid van België
Workers Party of Belgium
The Workers' Party of Belgium is a Marxist political party in Belgium. It is one of the few parties that operates as a single Belgian party...

(PVDA), which is at the moment the biggest communist party in Flanders and is represented in some municipal councils in Flanders, but not in the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Parliament

.

Other minor communist parties are the Trotskyist

Trotskyism

Socialistische Arbeiderspartij (SAP) and the Linkse Socialistische Partij
Left Socialist Party (Belgium)
The Left Socialist Party is a political party in Belgium without parliamentary representation. It is the Belgian section of the Committee for a Workers' International, a Trotskyist International.It was formed in 1992 as 'Militant Links' and fights for the right of the workers and the people in...

(LSP).

Linguistic parties

A specific phenomenon was the emergence of one-issue parties whose only reason for existence was the defense of the cultural, political, and economic interests of one of the linguistic groups or regions of Belgian society. See Flemish movement

Flemish movement

The Flemish Movement is a popular term used to describe the political movement for emancipation and greater autonomy of the Belgian region of Flanders, for protection of the Dutch language, and for the over-all protection of Flemish culture and history....

.

The most militant Flemish regional party in Parliament in the 1950s and 1960s, the Volksunie (People's Union

People's Union (Belgium)

People's Union was a Belgian political party, formed in 1954 as a successor to the "Christian Flemish People's Union", an electoral alliance of Flemish nationalists....

), once drew nearly one-quarter of Belgium's Dutch-speaking electorate. It was in the forefront of a successful campaign by the country's Flemish population for cultural and political parity with the nation's long dominant French-speaking population. However, in recent elections the party has suffered severe setbacks. In October 2001 the party disintegrated. The left-liberal wing founded Spirit, later called the Social Liberal Party, while the more traditional Flemish nationalist wing continued under the banner Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA). After a disappointing result in the regional elections of 2009

Belgian regional elections, 2009

Regional elections were held in Belgium on 7 June 2009 to choose representatives in the regional councils of Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community of Belgium...

, the Social Liberal Party decided to fuse with the Flemish ecologists of Groen!

The Vlaams Blok was another party created out of the Volksunie in 1978. In 2004 it disbanded and reformed as Vlaams Belang after a conviction for violating the Anti-Racism Law

Belgian Anti-Racism Law

The Belgian Anti-Racism Law, in full, the Law of July 30, 1981 on the punishment of certain acts inspired by racism or xenophobia, is a law against hate speech and discrimination passed by the Federal Parliament of Belgium in 1981 which made certain acts motivated by racism or xenophobia illegal...

. It strongly advocated Flemish independence and the cultural assimilation of migrants. (see Nationalists/Conservatives below)

Ecologists/Greens

The Flemish ecologist party Agalev (Anders GAan LEVen - To Start Living Differently) made its parliamentary breakthrough in 1981. As a traditional green

Green politics

Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...

party, the three core values of Agalev were ecology

Ecology

Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...

, peace

Peace

Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...

and participatory democracy

Participatory democracy

Participatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...

. Following significant gains made in the 1999 general elections

Belgian general election, 1999

The June 13, 1999 Belgian general elections was a Belgian election for the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and Belgian Senate. The federal general elections were held on the same day as the European elections and the regional elections. The Flemish Liberals and Democrats won the elections.The...

, the green parties of both regions joined a federal coalition cabinet for the first time in their history, but were ousted after the next elections. Agalev subsequently changed its name to Groen! (Green!).

Nationalists/Conservatives

Another nationalist party is the rightwing nationalist Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest

Vlaams Belang

), the successor of the Vlaams Blok (Flemish Block

Vlaams Blok

The Vlaams Blok was a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders. From its creation in 1978, it was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement. Vlaams...

) which broke away from the Volksunie in 1976. Originally a mainly Flemish regionalist and republican party, the Vlaams Blok soon concentrated on anti-immigration themes, and was often accused of xenophobia

Xenophobia

Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...

and racism

Racism

Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...

. Its viewpoints on ethical and moral issues is very conservative. Party chairperson was MEP Frank Vanhecke

Frank Vanhecke

Frank Arthur Hyppolite Vanhecke started his career in Belgian politics as a student by joining the Jong Studentenverbond and later the Nationalistische Studentenvereniging. He gave up his membership of the Volksunie in 1977 after it acceded to a much-debated package of federal reforms...

, but Filip Dewinter

Filip Dewinter

Philip Michel Frans "Filip" Dewinter is a Flemish politician in Belgium. He is one of the leading members of Vlaams Belang, a right-wing Flemish nationalist and secessionist political party...

is considered by many to have been the party's real leader. Long dismissed as a "fringe" party by mainstream politicians, the Flemish Block shocked observers when in the 1991 elections it posted a relatively high percentage of votes in much of Flanders, especially in Antwerp. The party scored even better in later local, regional and federal elections and still seemed to be winning support in November 2006, but the party lost a seat in the federal elections in 2007.

The Vlaams Blok was found to be operating contrary to the Belgian constitution for racism. In 2004, the Belgian Supreme Court upheld a decision of the Appeal Court of Ghent ruling that three organizations associated with the Vlaams Blok were in contempt of the 1981 Belgian law on racism and xenophobia, and that the party pursued permanent incitement to discrimination and racial segregation. The party was denied state funding and was therefore disbanded. Vlaams Blok supporters saw the conviction as a politically motivated action, and point out that the constitution had to be changed to allow for the conviction. A new party (basically the same in organization, membership, initials, and party programme, excluding anything that could be seen as racist) was founded and labelled Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest).

Linguistic minority

The Union des Francophones
Union des Francophones
The Union of Francophones is a Belgian electoral list which participates in regional, provincial and municipal elections in the Flemish Province of Flemish Brabant...

or UF is a Belgian

Belgium

electoral list

Party-list proportional representation

Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...

which participates in regional, provincial

Provinces of Belgium

Belgium is divided into three regions, two of them are subdivided into five provinces each.The division into provinces is fixed by Article 5 of the Belgian Constitution...

and municipal elections

Elections in Belgium

Elections in Belgium gives information on election and election results in Belgium.Belgium elects its bicameral federal legislature, the Federal Parliament Elections in Belgium gives information on election and election results in Belgium.Belgium elects its bicameral federal legislature, the...

in the Flemish

Flemish Region

Province of Flemish Brabant

Flemish Brabant

Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...

. As the name suggests, its primary target are the French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

-speaking inhabitants of Flemish Brabant and particularly those who live in Halle-Vilvoorde

Halle-Vilvoorde administrative Arrondissement

The Halle-Vilvoorde Arrondissement is one of the two administrative arrondissements in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It almost completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region and lies to the west of the other arrondissement in the province, the Leuven Arrondissement...

and the predominantly French-speaking municipalities with linguistic facilities

Municipalities with linguistic facilities

The municipalities with language facilities, occasionally called municipalities with linguistic facilities or shortly municipalities with facilities , are municipalities in Belgium with legal provisions to protect rights of their linguistic minorities...

near the Brussels-Capital Region. The UF is a cooperation between the three most important French

French language

-speaking parties in Belgium

Belgium

: the Mouvement Réformateur

Reformist Movement

The Reformist Movement is a French-speaking liberal political party in Belgium. The party was in coalition as part of the Leterme II Government, and was also part of the governing coalition in the Walloon Region and Brussels-Capital Region until the 2004 regional elections...

, the Centre Démocrate Humaniste

Humanist Democratic Centre

The Humanist Democratic Centre is a Francophone Christian democratic political party in Belgium. The cdH currently participates in the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Government of the French Community and the Walloon Government.- History :...

and the Parti Socialiste

Socialist Party (francophone Belgium)

The Socialist Party is a Francophone social-democratic political party in Belgium. As of the 2010 elections, it is the second largest party in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the largest Francophone party...

. The coalition wants an enlargement of the bilingual Brussels Capital Region through the merger of various municipalities with linguistic facilities

Municipalities with linguistic facilities

with a large percentage of French-speakers, like Sint-Genesius-Rode

Sint-Genesius-Rode

Sint-Genesius-Rode is a municipality located in Flanders, one of three regions of Belgium, in the province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the town of Sint-Genesius-Rode only. On January 1, 2008, the town had a total population of 18,021...

, and opposes the splitting of the bilingual Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde

Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde

Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...

electoral and judicial constituency.

The party currently has one representative in the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Parliament

, six in the provincial council of Flemish Brabant and dozens in several municipal councils.

Alliances

After the installation of a 5% electoral threshold

Election threshold

In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...

, with private funding close to forbidden and public funding practically impossible (only for parties with at least one representative in parliament), some of the smaller parties have made alliances with a larger, more traditional party, especially in the Flemish Region. Parties in any alliance remain independent, but they would field candidates on one combined list at elections.
In general, the smaller party/parties would be assured of gaining seats, and the larger party would be assured of obtaining a larger overall share of the vote. This was especially true for the CD&V / N-VA alliance, whereby CD&V became the largest party by votes in the Flemish regional elections, so therefore it could initiate coalition talks and the party could appoint the leader of the Flemish regional government.

The VLD / Vivant / Liberaal Appel alliance did not perform well in the polls. The alliance was renamed Open VLD as of February 2007. The proposed SP.a / Spirit / Groen! alliance did not happen, instead the SP.a / Spirit alliance went alone to the polls. Vlaams Belang formed an alliance with VLOTT, a break away party from the VLD, which advocates capitalist and rightwing liberal economic policies. The VB / VLOTT alliance is negotiating with Lijst Dedecker to include them in the alliance, but the outcome is in the balance and is unlikely to happen.

Representative political parties

Following parties have consistent presence in the Flemish parliament:

Christian-Democratic and Flemish (Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams)
Flemish Interest
Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...

(Vlaams Belang)
Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats
Flemish Liberals and Democrats
' , commonly known as Open VLD and also simply as the VLD, is a Flemish liberal political party in Belgium, created in 1992 from the former Party for Freedom and Progress and a few other politicians from other parties. The party led the government for three cabinets under Guy Verhofstadt from 1999...

(Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten)
Green!
Green!
Groen! is a Belgian green political party. Green! is the smallest Flemish party with a representation in the federal, regional or European parliament.-Before 1979:...

(Groen!)
List Dedecker (Lijst Dedecker)
New-Flemish Alliance
New-Flemish Alliance
' is a Flemish right-wing political party, founded in the autumn of 2001. It is a conservative and liberal movement that promotes civic nationalism...

(Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Socialist Party - Different
Socialist Party - Different
' is a Flemish social-democratic party in Belgium. It was formerly known as the Socialistische Partij , which in turn had branched off from the Belgian Socialist Party, itself formed by former members of the Belgian Labour Party.-1978-now:The party was the big winner in the 2003 election, running...

(Socialistische Partij - Anders)
Union of Francophones
Union des Francophones
The Union of Francophones is a Belgian electoral list which participates in regional, provincial and municipal elections in the Flemish Province of Flemish Brabant...

(Union des Francophones)

Parties without representation in the Flemish Parliament

Belgische Unie/Union Belge (Belgian Union)
Committee for Another Policy
Committee for Another Policy
The Committee for Another Policy , abbreviated to CAP, is a Belgian left-wing political movement that was established in 2005, and became a political party since 2006.-Formation:...

(Comité voor een Andere Politiek)
Left Socialist Party
Left Socialist Party (Belgium)
The Left Socialist Party is a political party in Belgium without parliamentary representation. It is the Belgian section of the Committee for a Workers' International, a Trotskyist International.It was formed in 1992 as 'Militant Links' and fights for the right of the workers and the people in...

(Linkse Socialistische Partij)
Liberaal Appèl
Liberaal Appèl
The Liberal Appeal is a Flemish right-liberal political party.Founded on March 22, 2002 by the liberal MEP Ward Beysen as a secession of the VLD, mostly in Antwerp. The Liberaal Appèl was first a movement, then became a full-fledged political party on January 20, 2003...

(Liberal Appeal)
Vivant
Vivant
Vivant is a small Belgian social liberal party founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats . Both parties are founded on the principle of individualism and can be called liberal...

-- part of the alliance VLD/VIVANT
VLOTT
VLOTT
VLOTT is a Belgian right-wing liberal or fortuynist political party. The acronym VLOTT stands for Flemish Liberal Independent Tolerant and Transparent . It was founded on November 23, 2005 by ex-Flemish Liberals and Democrats member Hugo Coveliers...

-- part of the alliance VB/VLOTT
Workers Party of Belgium
Workers Party of Belgium
The Workers' Party of Belgium is a Marxist political party in Belgium. It is one of the few parties that operates as a single Belgian party...

(Partij van de Arbeid van België)

Political system

Institutional framework

Flemish Government

Provincial and local government

Electoral system

Political parties in Flanders

Catholics/Christian Democrats

Socialists/Social Democrats

Liberals/Liberal Democrats

Communists

Linguistic parties

Ecologists/Greens

Nationalists/Conservatives

Linguistic minority

Alliances

Representative political parties

Parties without representation in the Flemish Parliament

See also

List of political parties