Socialist Party - Different
Encyclopedia
(sp.a) is a Flemish
social-democratic
party in Belgium
. It was formerly known as the Socialistische Partij (SP), which in turn had branched off from the Belgian Socialist Party
, itself formed by former members of the Belgian Labour Party
.
party Spirit. Their share of the vote went up from 9% (of the total Belgian vote) to almost 15%, a second place in the number of votes. The main victim of this resurgence was the Green!
party (formerly known as Agalev). The sp.a was part of the "purple
" federal coalitions of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
from 12 July 1999 until 10 June 2007, which contained both the Flemish and Francophone liberal and social-democratic parties.
In 2004, the sp.a along with its partner Spirit lost the elections for the Flemish parliament
. Although they won more seats in comparison to the Flemish elections of 1999, their percentage of the vote compared to the successful 2003 federal elections was considerably down. The reputation of then party leader Steve Stevaert
took a beating too.
The party was briefly led by Caroline Gennez
, after former president Steve Stevaert
left to become governor of Limburg
. Johan Vande Lanotte
, who served as Minister of the Budget in the federal Government, was elected President and resigned as minister to become President on 17 October 2005. He resigned 11 June 2007, after sp.a-Spirit lost the elections for the federal parliament
of 10 June 2007. In these general elections
, the cartel won 14 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 4 out of 40 seats in the Senate
. Afterwards, Caroline Gennez was elected President by the party members.
As of May 2009, sp.a was in opposition in federal politics; and unlike its Francophone counterpart Socialist Party
(PS), sp.a was not a participant in the Leterme II Government
.
In January 2009 the party had apparently changed its name to Socialisten en Progressieven Anders. This name change was however retracted, and the party baseline instead was changed from "Sociaal Progressief Alternatief" to "Socialisten en Progressieven Anders".
), Acco (Leuven/Den Haag), 239 p., ISBN 9789033475719.
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...
social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
party in Belgium
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...
. It was formerly known as the Socialistische Partij (SP), which in turn had branched off from the Belgian Socialist Party
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...
, itself formed by former members of the Belgian Labour Party
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:...
.
1978-now
The party was the big winner in the 2003 election, running on a joint list (cartel) with the social-liberalSocial liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
party Spirit. Their share of the vote went up from 9% (of the total Belgian vote) to almost 15%, a second place in the number of votes. The main victim of this resurgence was the 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:...
party (formerly known as Agalev). The sp.a was part of the "purple
Purple (government)
Purple is a common term in politics for governments or other political entities consisting of parties that have red and blue as their political colours...
" federal coalitions of Prime Minister 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 :...
from 12 July 1999 until 10 June 2007, which contained both the Flemish and Francophone liberal and social-democratic parties.
In 2004, the sp.a along with its partner Spirit lost the elections for 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...
. Although they won more seats in comparison to the Flemish elections of 1999, their percentage of the vote compared to the successful 2003 federal elections was considerably down. The reputation of then party leader Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert is a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A....
took a beating too.
The party was briefly led by Caroline Gennez
Caroline Gennez
Caroline Gennez is a Belgian socialist politician and a former chairwoman of the Socialist Party – Different in Flanders.-Biography:...
, after former president Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert is a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A....
left to become governor of Limburg
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
. Johan Vande Lanotte
Johan Vande Lanotte
Johan Cyrille Corneel Vande Lanotte is a Belgian politician. He is a member of the SP.A, and became its party president on 15 October 2005...
, who served as Minister of the Budget in the federal Government, was elected President and resigned as minister to become President on 17 October 2005. He resigned 11 June 2007, after sp.a-Spirit lost the elections for the federal parliament
Belgian general election, 2007
The 2007 Belgian general election took place on Sunday 10 June 2007. Voters went to the polls in order to elect new members for the Chamber of Representatives and Senate.Eligible voters were Belgian citizens 18 years and older...
of 10 June 2007. In these general elections
Belgian general election, 2007
The 2007 Belgian general election took place on Sunday 10 June 2007. Voters went to the polls in order to elect new members for the Chamber of Representatives and Senate.Eligible voters were Belgian citizens 18 years and older...
, the cartel won 14 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 4 out of 40 seats in the Senate
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
. Afterwards, Caroline Gennez was elected President by the party members.
As of May 2009, sp.a was in opposition in federal politics; and unlike its Francophone counterpart Socialist Party
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...
(PS), sp.a was not a participant in the Leterme II Government
Leterme II Government
The Leterme II Government was the federal government of Belgium from 24 November 2009 to 26 April 2010. it is still the caretaker government. It took office when the Flemish Christian Democrat Yves Leterme was sworn in as Prime Minister. It followed the Van Rompuy I Government which ended...
.
In January 2009 the party had apparently changed its name to Socialisten en Progressieven Anders. This name change was however retracted, and the party baseline instead was changed from "Sociaal Progressief Alternatief" to "Socialisten en Progressieven Anders".
European Politics
| 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... |
|
|---|---|
| Name | Committees |
| Said El Khadraoui Saïd El Khadraoui Saïd El Khadraoui is a Belgian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Belgium with the Socialist Party – Different, part of the Socialist Group and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism.He is a substitute for the Committee on International Trade, a... |
Transport |
| Kathleen Van Brempt Kathleen Van Brempt Kathleen Van Brempt , born in Wilrijk, is a Belgian social-democratic politician and member of the SP-A. She currently serves as Member of the European Parliament as part of the Party of European Socialists .... |
Industry, Research and Energy |
Regional Politics
| 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... Peeters II 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... |
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|---|---|---|
| Public Office | Name | Function |
| Viceminister-President | Ingrid Lieten | Innovation, Public Investment, Media and Poverty Reduction |
| Minister 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... |
Pascal Smet Pascal Smet Pascal Smet , a member of the Socialist Party - Different , is a regional minister in Belgium.-Personal life:He was born in 1967 in Beveren-Waas. He was a member of the town council of Beveren-Waas from 1989 to 1997 and a member of the province council of East-Flanders . He earned a degree in Law... |
Education, Youth, Equal Opportunities and Brussels Affairs |
| Minister 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... |
Freya Van den Bossche Freya Van den Bossche Freya Van den Bossche is a Belgian, Flemish politician and daughter of prominent former Belgian politician Luc Van den Bossche. She is member of the SP.a political party, and she was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget and Consumer Protection in the Belgian federal government... |
Energy, Housing, Cities and Social Economy |
| 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... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Notes | Name | Name | Notes | |
 John Crombez |
faction leader | Michèle Hostekint |
 Fatma Pehlivan |
||
| Philippe De Coene |
Yamila Idrissi |  Els Robeyns |
|||
| Kurt De Loor |
 Patrick JanssensPatrick Janssens Patrick Janssens is a Belgian politician, born on 19 September 1956. He is a member of the SP.a and currently mayor of the port city Antwerp.- Career :... |
mayor of Antwerp | Jan Roegiers |
||
 Mia De VitsMia De Vits Marie Louise "Mia" De Vits is a Belgian politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Socialistische Partij-Anders, part of the Socialist Group and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.She is a substitute for the Committee on... |
Marcel Logist |
Güler Turan |
Community Senator | ||
| Kathleen Deckx |
Chokri Mahassine |
organiser Pukkelpop Pukkelpop Pukkelpop is an annual music festival which takes place near the city of Hasselt, Belgium in mid-to-late August. It is held within a large enclosure of fields and woodland—between a dual carriageway called Kempische Steenweg—in the village of Kiewit, approximately 7 km north of Hasselt... |
Bart Van Malderen |
||
| Steve D'Hulster |
Bart Martens Bart Martens Bart Martens is a Belgian politician and a member of the SP.A. He was elected as a member of the Belgian Senate in 2007.-Notes:... |
Else De Wachter |
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| Ludo Sannen |
Community Senator | ||||
| Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | |||
| Fouad Ahidar | Elke Roex Elke Roex Elke Roex is a Belgian, Flemish politician and member of the Flemish Parliament for the Socialist Party – Different since 2004 and a member of the City Council of Anderlecht. She lives in the architecturaly unique district La Roue/Het Rad.- External links :* - official website.... |
||
| Sophie Brouhon | Jef Van Damme | ||
Provincial Politics
| 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... Council |
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|---|---|---|
| Province | votes | seats |
 Antwerp (province) Antwerp is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and the Belgian provinces of Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders. Its capital is Antwerp which comprises the Port of Antwerp... |
19,46% | |
 Limburg (Belgium) Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant... |
25,46% | |
 East Flanders East Flanders is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and in Belgium on the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant , of Hainaut and of West Flanders... |
16,81% | |
 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... |
16,20% | |
 |
20,04% | |
Chamber of Representatives
| Election year | # of total votes | % of vote | # of seats won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 744,593 | 12,4 | 26 | First general election as SP |
| 1985 | 882,200 | 14,6 | 32 ( 6) | |
| 1987 | 915,432 | 14,9 | 32 ( 0) | |
| 1991 | 737,976 | 12,0 | 28 ( 4) | |
| 1995 | 762,444 | 12,6 | 20 ( 8) | The number of seats in the chamber is reduced from 212 to 150. |
| 1999 | 593,372 | 9,5 | 14 ( 6) | |
| 2003 | 979,750 | 14,9 | 23 ( 9) | First general election as sp.a |
| 2007 | 684,390 | 10,26 | 14 ( 9) | |
| 2010 | 602,867 | 9,24 | 13 ( 1) |
Senate
| Election year | # of total votes | % of vote | # of seats won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 732,126 | 12,27 | 13 | First general election as SP |
| 1985 | 868,624 | 14,49 | 16 ( 3) | |
| 1987 | 896,294 | 14,7 | 17 ( 1) | |
| 1991 | 730,274 | 11,9 | 14 ( 3) | |
| 1995 | 792,941 | 13,2 | ||
| 1999 | 550,657 | 8,9 | ||
| 2003 | 1,013,560 | 15.5 | 12 ( 6) | First general election as sp.a Most votes in the Senate election of all belgian parties. |
| 2007 | 665,342 | 10,04 | 7 ( 5) | |
| 2010 | 613,079 | 9,48 | 7 ( 0) |
Flemish Parliament
| Election year | # of total votes | % of vote | # of seats won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 19 | |||
European Parliament
| Election year | # of total votes | % of vote | # of seats won | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2 | |||
See also
(2010), Vlugschrift - over welvaart en geluk, (retrivable on the website sp.a-ledenbeheer), 96 p., ISBN 9789048606290. (2010), De basis spreekt — onderzoek naar de leden, mandatarissen en kiezers van sp.a (research on members sp.a by Ghent UniversityGhent University
Ghent University is a Dutch-speaking public university located in Ghent, Belgium. It is one of the larger Flemish universities, consisting of 32,000 students and 7,100 staff members. The current rector is Paul Van Cauwenberge.It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands...
), Acco (Leuven/Den Haag), 239 p., ISBN 9789033475719.