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Kingdom of Belgium Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Kingdom of Belgium
Official Name: Kingdom of Belgium
Capital: Brussels
Area: 33,100 square kilometres ( 12,780 square miles )
Major cities (Population)
Brussels 1,122,000 (1995)
Antwerp 467,875 (1992)
Ghent 230,446 (1992 estimate)
Charleroi 206,928 (1992 estimate)
Liège 195,201 (1992 estimate)
Population: 10,113,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 0.3 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Type of government: Constitutional monarchy
Independence: 4 October 1830 (from Netherlands)
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state.
Voting Rights: Universal and compulsory at age 18
Government
Belgium is a hereditary and constitutional monarchy. It is one of the newest western European states as it was founded in 1830, when the Kingdom of Belgium seceded from the Netherlands. The king holds executive power with the prime minister. Day-to-day affairs are handled by the prime minister and his cabinet. The cabinet contains an equal number of French- and Flemish-speaking ministers. All governments have been coalitions, because no single political party has ever had a majority in the legislature. Under the 1993 reforms, the bicameral legislature is made up of a 212-member Chamber of Representatives and a 185-member Senate. In addition, the Flemish Region, Walloon Region, and Brussels each has its own directly elected regional parliament. The voting age is 18, and citizens are legally required to vote.
Recent History
In 1993 King Albert II ascended the throne following the death of his brother, King Baudouin I. For most of the post-war period, the king has played an important role in calming tensions between the different linguistic communities. These tensions have made Belgian politics a complicated balancing act. In July 1993 parliament voted to amend the constitution and establish a federal system, with considerable autonomy given to the Flemish Region, Walloon Region, and Brussels, and to the three linguistic communities. Defence and internal security, foreign affairs, taxation, and social security are controlled by the federal government, and all other matters, such as education, investment, welfare, and public works, are left to the three regions.
A recent political scandal culminated in October 1995 with the resignation of Willy Claes as Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), after the Belgian parliament decided to lift his immunity from prosecution on charges that he colluded in corrupt practices within his own political party.
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