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Les Engagés (; , LE) is a centrist French-speaking political party in Belgium. The party originated in the split in 1972 of the unitary Christian Social Party (PSC-CVP) which had been the country's governing party for much of the post-war period. It continued to be called the Christian Social Party (french: Parti Social Chrétien, PSC) until 2002 when it was renamed the
Humanist Democratic Centre Humanist Democratic Centre (french: Centre Démocrate Humaniste, CDH) was a Christian democratic and centrist French-speaking political party in Belgium. The party originated in the split in 1972 of the unitary Christian Social Party (PSC-CVP) w ...
(french: Centre Démocrate Humaniste, CDH). It took its current name on 17 March 2022, and currently does not participate in any government.


History

The PSC was officially founded in 1972. The foundation was the result of the split of the unitary Christian Social Party (PSC-CVP) into the Dutch-speaking Christian People's Party (CVP) and the French-speaking Christian Social Party (PSC), following the increased linguistic tensions after the crisis at the
Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of ...
in 1968. The PSC performed particularly badly in the 1999 general election. This was linked to several scandals, such as the escape of
Marc Dutroux Marc Paul Alain Dutroux (; born 6 November 1956) is a Belgian convicted serial killer, serial rapist, and child molester. Initially convicted for the abduction and rape of five young girls in 1989, Dutroux was released on parole after just thre ...
and the discovery of dioxine in chickens (the PSC was a coalition partner in the Dehaene government). The decline in votes was also explained by declining adherence to
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. The party was confined to
opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
on all levels of government. The party started a process of internal reform. In 2001 a new charter of principles, the "Charter of Democratic Humanism," was adopted and in 2002 the party adopted a new constitution and a new name, Humanist Democratic Centre. On 17 March 2022, the party changed to its current name and political colors. On 10 October 2022, Virginie Lefrancq, a Brussels MP, announced that she was leaving Les Engagés, feeling politically orphaned.


Ideology

The party considers itself to be a movement rather than a party, and calls for citizen-led initiatives and more engagement between the public and politicians. The party has dropped all its Christian references and now defines itself as a party working for the "common good". On its manifesto, the party supports
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, the EU, secularism and LGBT rights. Les Engagés supports intensifying awareness and information campaigns on gender and homosexuality, as well as the reimbursement of gynecological and andrological care for trans people.


Presidents

*2022–present
Maxime Prévot Maxime Prévot (; born April 9, 1978) is a Belgian politician who is currently the president of the Les Engagés (political party), Les Engagés party and has served as the Mayor of Namur since 2012. Biography Prévot was born in Mons in 1978 to ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Engagés, Les Francophone political parties in Belgium Social liberal parties Liberalism in Belgium Liberal parties in Belgium Political parties established in 2022 2022 establishments in Belgium Member parties of the European People's Party Centrist parties in Belgium