Brussels Parliament
Encyclopedia
The Parliament
of the Brussels-Capital Region
(French
: Parlement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch
: Parlement van het Brusselse Hoofdstedelijke Gewest), is the governing body of the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium
. It is also known as the Brussels Regional Parliament (French
: Parlement Bruxellois, Dutch
: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Parlement).
, 89 since 2004, take place every five years. Here is the list of past regional elections:
, the composition of the Brussels Parliament is as follows:
and three regional secretaries of state
, who together form the cabinet of the Brussels-Capital Region.
The Brussels Parliament can also force the Government as a whole or one or more of its members to resign by passing a motion of no confidence
. However, because the Parliament cannot be dissolved prior to the end of its five-year term, such a motion is only admissible if it is a constructive motion, in other words, the Parliament must decide upon a successor to the Government or to one or more of its members.
The 89 members of the Brussels Parliament are divided into two language groups: 72 belong to the French
-speaking group and 17 members belong to the Dutch
-speaking group. The members of the French-speaking group also make up the Parlement francophone bruxellois (in English
: French-speaking Brussels Parliament), which was formerly known as the Assembly of the French Community Commission
, while the members of the Dutch-speaking group make up the Council of the Flemish Community Commission
. The Parlement francophone bruxellois and the Council of the Flemish Community Commission
together form the United Assembly of the Common Community Commission
. The Community Commissions are to a certain extent responsible for Community competencies within the Brussels-Capital Region.
19 of the 72 French-speaking members of the Brussels Parliament are also members of the Parliament of the French Community of Belgium, and until 2004 this was also the case for 6 Dutch-speaking members, who were at the same time members of the Flemish Parliament
. Nowadays, people voting for a Flemish party have to vote separately for 6 directly-elected members of the Flemish Parliament.
Due to the multiple capacities of single members, there are members of the Brussels Parliament who are at the same member of the Parliament of the French Community of Belgium
and of the Belgian Senate
as "community senators" for the French Community. At the moment, this is the case for Mr. François Roelants du Vivier
(MR
), Mrs. Amina Derbaki Sbaï (PS
) and Mrs. Sfia Bouarfa
(PS
). However, there are certain restrictions in place in order to prevent one person from combining too many mandates. For instance, it is impossible to be a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and of one of the Regional Parliaments at the same time.
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of the Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(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...
: Parlement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Parlement van het Brusselse Hoofdstedelijke Gewest), is the governing body of the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of 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 is also known as the Brussels Regional Parliament (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...
: Parlement Bruxellois, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Parlement).
Elections
Elections of 75 Brussels regional deputiesChamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
, 89 since 2004, take place every five years. Here is the list of past regional elections:
- June 18, 1989 (first elections)
- May 21, 1995, coincided with the federal legislative elections;
- June 13, 1999
- June 13, 2004, coincided with the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe 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. - June 7, 2009.
Current composition
Following the 2009 regional electionBelgian 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 composition of the Brussels Parliament is as follows:
| Party | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Reformist Movement 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... |
24 | |
| 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... |
21 | |
| Ecolo Ecolo Ecolo is a French-speaking Belgian green political party in Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community of Belgium... |
16 | |
| Humanist Democratic Centre 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 :... |
11 | |
| French language group total: | 72 | |
| 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... |
4 | |
| Socialist Party Different | 4 | |
| 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... |
3 | |
| Christian Democratic and Flemish Christian Democratic and Flemish The Christian Democratic and Flemish is a political party of Belgium, formerly called Christian People's Party... |
3 | |
| 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:... |
2 | |
| 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... |
1 | |
| Dutch language group total: | 17 | |
| Total | 89 | |
Functions
The Brussels Parliament role mainly consists in controlling the government of the Brussels-Capital Region, approving the budget and creating and passing legislation in regional matters, known as ordinances, which are legally binding. One of its first tasks after the Parliament is renewed is appointing five ministersMinister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
and three regional 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....
, who together form the cabinet of the Brussels-Capital Region.
The Brussels Parliament can also force the Government as a whole or one or more of its members to resign by passing a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
. However, because the Parliament cannot be dissolved prior to the end of its five-year term, such a motion is only admissible if it is a constructive motion, in other words, the Parliament must decide upon a successor to the Government or to one or more of its members.
The 89 members of the Brussels Parliament are divided into two language groups: 72 belong to 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 group and 17 members belong to the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
-speaking group. The members of the French-speaking group also make up the Parlement francophone bruxellois (in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: French-speaking Brussels Parliament), which was formerly known as the Assembly of the French Community Commission
French Community Commission
The Commission communautaire française is the local representative of the French-speaking authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium....
, while the members of the Dutch-speaking group make up the Council of the Flemish Community Commission
Flemish Community Commission
The Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie is the local representative of the Flemish authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium...
. The Parlement francophone bruxellois and the Council of the Flemish Community Commission
Flemish Community Commission
The Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie is the local representative of the Flemish authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium...
together form the United Assembly of the Common Community Commission
Common Community Commission
The Common Community Commission is responsible for community matters that are common to both the French Community and the Flemish Community and for institutions that fall within the competencies of the Communities but do not belong exclusively to either Community in the Brussels-Capital Region of...
. The Community Commissions are to a certain extent responsible for Community competencies within the Brussels-Capital Region.
19 of the 72 French-speaking members of the Brussels Parliament are also members of the Parliament of the French Community of Belgium, and until 2004 this was also the case for 6 Dutch-speaking members, who were at the same time members of 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...
. Nowadays, people voting for a Flemish party have to vote separately for 6 directly-elected members of the Flemish Parliament.
Due to the multiple capacities of single members, there are members of the Brussels Parliament who are at the same member of the Parliament of the French Community of Belgium
French Community of Belgium
The French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...
and of the Belgian 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:...
as "community senators" for the French Community. At the moment, this is the case for Mr. François Roelants du Vivier
François Roelants du Vivier
François Roelants du Vivier is a Belgian politician and a member of the Mouvement Réformateur. He was a member of the Belgian Senate from 2000 until 2009.-Notes:...
(MR
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...
), Mrs. Amina Derbaki Sbaï (PS
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...
) and Mrs. Sfia Bouarfa
Sfia Bouarfa
Sfia Bouarfa born 14 October 1950 in Jerada, Morocco) is a Belgian politician and a member of the PS. Since 1995 she is a Member of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region and a Member of the Parliament of the French Community. She was also a Community Senator appointed by the Parliament of...
(PS
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...
). However, there are certain restrictions in place in order to prevent one person from combining too many mandates. For instance, it is impossible to be a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and of one of the Regional Parliaments at the same time.
See also
- Belgian Federal ParliamentBelgian Federal ParliamentThe 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 :...
(federal assembly - upper and lower houses) - Flemish ParliamentFlemish ParliamentThe 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...
(regional and community assembly) - Walloon ParliamentWalloon ParliamentThe Walloon Parliament , formerly the Walloon Regional Council , is the Parliament of the Walloon Region, commonly called Wallonia, one of the self-governing Regions of Belgium with Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region...
(regional assembly) - Parliament of the French Speaking Community (community assembly)
- Parliament of the German Speaking Community (community assembly)
- Commission communautaire française (COCOF)
- Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (VGC)
External links
- Brussels-Capital Region. Centre d'Informatique pour la Région Bruxelloise (Brussels Regional Informatics Center).
- Brussels Parliament official webpage