On June 9th, 2024, elections for the European, the Belgian and the regional parliaments took place. Find following an insight in the Belgian political system.
Belgium is a federal state with a multi-party political system, no party has a chance of gaining power alone, and therefore must form coalition governments. Almost all Belgian political parties are divided into linguistic groups, either Dutch-speaking, Francophone or Germanophone parties.
The Flemish parties operate in Flanders and in the Brussels-Capital Region. The Francophone parties operate in Wallonia and in the Brussels-Capital Region, some operate in the small German-speaking community.
From the creation of the Belgian state in 1830 and throughout most of the 19th century, two political parties dominated Belgian politics: the Catholic Party (Church-oriented and conservative) and the Liberal Party (anti-clerical and progressive). In the late 19th century, the Labour Party arose to represent the emerging industrial working class. These three groups still dominate Belgian politics, but they have evolved substantially in character. The Chamber of representatives consists of 150 members.
After the elections of June 9th, 2024, the situation is as follows (incl. European affiliation):
Flanders:
| Party | EU affiliation | Wallonian partner | Belgian elections | EU elections | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vlaams Belang | nationalist | European Conservatives | 14 % | 15 % | |
| N-VA | Nieuw-Vlaamse alliantie | European conservatives | 17 % | 14 % | |
| Open VLD | Open Flemish, Liberal | Renew Europe | MR | 5 % | 6 % |
| Vooruit (“onward”) | social democrat | SD | PS | 8% | 8 % |
| CD&V | Christian Democrat & Flemish | EPP | Les engagés | 8 % | 8 % |
| Groen | Green | Ecolo | 5 % | 6 % |
Wallonia:
| Party | EU affiliation | Flemish partner | Belgian elections | EU elections | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MR | Mouvement reformiste, liberal | Renew Europe | Open VLD | 10 % | 13 % |
| PS | social democrat | SD | Vooruit | 8 % | 8 % |
| Les engagés | social-liberal | EPP | CD&V | 7 % | 5% |
| DéFi | social-liberal, Brussels | Renew Europe | 1 % | 1 % | |
| PTB-PVDA | Parti du Travail Belge, Labor party | Left | all country party | 10 % | 11 % |
| Ecolo | Green | Groen | 3 % | 4% |
all % are for the whole country
More information/Source:
- Belgium – election results 2024
- Wikipedia: Political parties
Belgian-Macedonian Business Club 
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