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2003 Belgian General Election
Federal elections were held in Belgium on 18 May 2003, the first under a new electoral code. One of the novelties was an electoral threshold of 5%, which has cost many seats to the N-VA and the Green parties, Ecolo and Agalev. The Belgian Socialists recovered well; the liberal and nationalist parties increased their vote as well. The Flemish Greens lost all their seats. The Greens were attacked on two fronts: some, including their coalition partners, accused them of being too fundamentalist, while others said that they had betrayed their ideals. The resignation of a Walloon green minister (Isabelle Durant), one week before the elections, probably didn't do them much good either. Although it was predicted in some opinion polls, the gains of the Front National were surprising, considering that it seldom appeared in the media. The most important trend was the recovery of the Flemish social-democrats, led by the popular (some would say populist) Steve Stevaert. The fact that Elio Di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1999 Belgian Federal Election
Federal elections were held in Belgium on June 13, 1999 to elect members of the Chamber of Representatives and Senate. The elections were held on the same day as the European elections and the regional elections. The Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) became the largest party. The Christian Democrats ( CVP/ PSC) suffered historic losses due to the dioxine affair that broke loose that year. Jean-Luc Dehaene's reign of eight years came to an end. Verhofstadt formed a six-party coalition comprising the liberal (VLD and PRL), socialist ( SP and PS), and green parties (Agalev and Ecolo). It was the first liberal-led government since 1938, and the first since 1958 that didn't include a Christian Democratic party. Chamber of Representatives , style="text-align:center;" colspan="10" , ← 1995 • 1999 • 2003 → , - style="text-align:right;" ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; width:400; text-align:left;" colspan="2" , Party ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9; width:20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not the head of state, but rather the head of government, serving under either a monarch in a democratic constitutional monarchy or under a president in a republican form of government. In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the prime minister is the presiding and actual head of government and head/owner of the executive power. In such systems, the head of state or their official representative (e.g., monarch, president, governor-general) usually holds a largely ceremonial position, although often with reserve powers. Under some presidential systems, such as South Korea and Peru, the prime minister is the leader or most senior member of the cabinet, not the head of government. In many systems, the prime ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dutch Language
Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. '' Afrikaans'' is a separate but somewhat mutually intelligible daughter languageAfrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , . Afrikaans was historically called Cape Dutch; see , , , , , . Afrikaans is rooted in 17th-century dialects of Dutch; see , , , . Afrikaans is variously described as a creole, a partially creolised language, or a deviant variety of Dutch; see . spoken, to some degree, by at least 16 million people, mainly in South Africa and Namibia, evolving from the Cape Dutch dialects of Southern Africa. The dialects used in Belgium (including Flemish) and in Suriname, meanwhile, are all guided by the Dutch Language Union. In Europe, most of the population of the Netherlands (where it is the only official language sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert (; born Robert Stevaert ; 12 April 1954 – 2 April 2015) was a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A. Biography Stevaert was born on 12 April 1954 in Rijkhoven in Belgium. After his studies at the "Hoger Rijksinstituut voor Toerisme, Hotelwezen en Voedingsbedrijven", Stevaert started as a bar owner in 1972. Stevaert became politically active in 1982 under the wings of his mentor Willy Claes. Stevaert was elected to the Provincial Council of Limburg from 1985 to 1995. He became mayor and member of the city council of Hasselt in 1995. There he became famous for his policy of free public transport in 1997, which gave him his nickname "Steve Stunt". Stevaert was also elected to the Flemish parliament in 1995 and was re-elected in 1999 and 2004. Stevaert served as Flemish minister of Public Works, Transport and Spatial planning from 1998 to 1999 and as Flemish minister of Mobility, Transport and Public Works from 1999 to 2003, when he resigned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Front National (Belgium)
The National Democratie (french: Démocratie Nationale) is a francophone Belgian far-right political party. The party advocated a strong unitary Belgian nationalism, strongly opposed immigration, and reached out to Flemish voters. The party's acting leader is Marco Santi. In the 2003 federal election, it won one seat in the Chamber of Representatives, with 2% of the vote. It also had two seats in the Senate. A 2006 poll showed that it had the backing of about 9.4% of the Walloon voters. Despite this poll it won in the 10 June 2007 federal elections, 1 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 1 out of 40 seats in the Senate. Development The DN was established by Daniel Féret, a former member of Jeune Europe who subsequently was active with the populist .Piero Ignazi, ''Extreme Right Parties in Western Europe'', Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 129 The party clashed with the Party of New Forces (PFN) from its foundation as Féret sought to distance his g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agalev
Groen (English: Green; nl, Groen, ), founded as Agalev (see Name below), is a green Flemish political party in Belgium. Its French-speaking equivalent is Ecolo; the two parties maintain close relations with each other. Party history Before 1979 Many of the founders of political party Agalev came from or were inspired by the social movement Agalev. This movement was founded by the Jesuit Luc Versteylen, who had founded the environmental movement Agalev in the 1970s. Core values of this social movement were quiet, solidarity and soberness. This movement combined progressive Catholicism with environmentalism. It sought to spread environmental consciousness first on a small scale, but since 1973 it took action to protect the environment and promote environmental consciousness. In the 1974 and 1977 elections Agalev supported several candidates from traditional parties, these however soon forgot the promises they made. In 1977 the movement entered the elections in several municip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecolo
Ecolo, officially Écologistes Confédérés pour l'organisation de luttes originales'', (English: Confederate Ecologists for the Organisation of Original Struggles)'' is a French-speaking political party in Belgium based on green politics. The party is active in Wallonia, the Brussels-Capital Region, and the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Ecolo's Flemish equivalent is Groen; the two parties maintain close relations with each other. Name Ecolo is officially a backronym for ''Écologistes Confédérés pour l'organisation de luttes originales'' "Confederated Ecologists for the Organisation of Original Struggles", but is really just short for ''écologistes'', French for environmentalists. History Ecolo was part of the 1999 Verhofstadt I Government, but withdrew from the coalition before the 2003 general election, which saw it lose nearly two thirds of its 14 federal parliamentary seats in the face of a resurgent Socialist Party. The party made quite a comeback, howev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation for world peace. Green party platforms typically embrace social-democratic economic policies and form coalitions with other left-wing parties. Green parties exist in nearly 90 countries around the world, many of which are members of Global Greens. Definitions There are distinctions between "green" parties and "Green" parties. Any party, faction, or politician may be labeled "green" if it emphasizes environmental causes. In contrast, formally organized Green parties may follow a coherent ideology that includes not only environmentalism, but often also other concerns such as social justice, consensus decision-making and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation for world pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie
The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU). The N-VA is a regionalist and separatist movement that self-identifies with the promotion of civic nationalism.Manifesto of the New Flemish Alliance point 13: "Inclusion for newcomers" (in Dutch). It is considered part of the Flemish Movement; the party strives for the peaceful [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of . Belgium is part of an area known as the Low Countries, historically a somewhat larger region than the Benelux group of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven. Belgium is a sovereign state and a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verhofstadt II Government
The Verhofstadt II Government was the federal government of Belgium from 12 July 2003 to 21 December 2007. It was the second government headed by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt ( VLD). It was formed after the 2003 general election. It consisted of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD), the French-speaking Liberal Reformist Party (MR), the Flemish Socialist Party (SP.a) and the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS). Because it comprised liberals and socialists it was also known as a "purple" coalition. It was a continuation of the Verhofstadt I Government but without the Green parties. Original Composition 2003-2004 Reshuffles *On September 25, 2003, Temsamani had to resign because she had lied about a diploma she received *On February 12, 2004, Jacques Simonet resigned to become Minister-President of Brussels, he was replaced by Didier Donfut (PS). Composition after the 2004 Regional elections The 2004 Regional elections saw a fundamental reshuffle to the federal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
