french: Libéraux et démocrates flamands ouverts
, abbreviation = Open Vld
, logo =
, leader1_title = President
, leader1_name =
Egbert Lachaert
, foundation = 1992 (VLD)
2007 (Open Vld)
, predecessor =
Party for Freedom and Progress
The Party for Freedom and Progress ( nl, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang; french: Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès; german: Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt, PVV-PLP) was a liberal political party in Belgium which existed from 1961 unt ...
, headquarters = Melsensstraat 34 Brussels
, membership_year = 2018
, membership = 60,000
, ideology =
, position =
Centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and m ...
, international =
Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism aroun ...
, european =
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...
, europarl =
Renew Europe
Renew Europe (Renew) is a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament founded for the ninth European Parliament term. The group is the successor to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group which ...
, affiliation1_title = Francophone counterpart
, affiliation1 =
Reformist Movement
The Reformist Movement (french: Mouvement Réformateur, MR) is a liberal French-speaking political party in Belgium. MR is traditionally a conservative-liberal party, but it also contains social-liberal factions.
The party is in coalition as ...
, affiliation2_title = Germanophone counterpart
, affiliation2 =
Party for Freedom and Progress
The Party for Freedom and Progress ( nl, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang; french: Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès; german: Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt, PVV-PLP) was a liberal political party in Belgium which existed from 1961 unt ...
, seats1_title =
Chamber of Representatives
, seats1 =
, seats2_title =
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
, seats2 =
, seats3_title =
Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament ( Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural commun ...
, seats3 =
, seats4_title =
Brussels Parliament
The Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (French: ''Parlement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale'', Dutch: ''Parlement van het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gew ...
, seats4 =
, seats5_title =
European Parliament
, seats5 =
, seats6_title =
Flemish Provincial Councils
, seats6 =
, colours =
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
, website =
, country = Belgium
The Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (, ; Open Vld) is a Flemish
conservative-liberal political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in Belgium.
The party was created in 1992 from the former bilingual
Party for Freedom and Progress
The Party for Freedom and Progress ( nl, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang; french: Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès; german: Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt, PVV-PLP) was a liberal political party in Belgium which existed from 1961 unt ...
(PVV) and politicians from other parties after Belgium was reconstituted as a federal state based on language, with the French-speaking faction forming the
Reformist Movement
The Reformist Movement (french: Mouvement Réformateur, MR) is a liberal French-speaking political party in Belgium. MR is traditionally a conservative-liberal party, but it also contains social-liberal factions.
The party is in coalition as ...
(MR) in Wallonia. The party led the government for three cabinets under
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
from 1999 until March 2008. Open VLD then formed the Federal Government (the so-called "Swedish government") with
N-VA
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).
Th ...
,
CD&V
Christian Democratic and Flemish (, , CD&V) is a Flemish Christian-democratic political party in Belgium. The party has historical ties to both trade unionism ( ACV) and trade associations ( UNIZO) and the Farmer's League. Until 2001, the party ...
and Mouvement Réformateur.
In the
Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament ( Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural commun ...
, the VLD formed a
coalition government with sp.a-Spirit and
Christian Democratic and Flemish
Christian Democratic and Flemish (, , CD&V) is a Flemish Christian-democratic political party in Belgium. The party has historical ties to both trade unionism ( ACV) and trade associations ( UNIZO) and the Farmer's League. Until 2001, the party ...
(CD&V) from after the
2004 regional election until the
2009 regional election. Open VLD has been a member of the
Leterme I Government
The Leterme I Government was the federal government of Belgium from 20 March 2008 to 22 December 2008. It took office when the Flemish Christian democrat Yves Leterme (CD&V) was sworn in as Prime Minister. It followed the Belgian general elec ...
formed on 22 March 2008, the
Van Rompuy I Government
The Van Rompuy Government was the federal government of Belgium from 30 December 2008 until 15 November 2009. Herman Van Rompuy was nominated as the first President of the European Council and resigned shortly after as Premier. It took office when ...
formed on 2 January 2009, the
Leterme II Government formed on 24 November 2009 and the
Di Rupo Government
The Di Rupo Government was the federal cabinet of Belgium sworn in on 6 December 2011, after a record-breaking 541 days of negotiations following the June 2010 elections. The government included social democrats ( sp.a/ PS), Christian democrat ...
formed on 6 December 2011.
Ideologically, Open VLD started as an
economically liberal
Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalis ...
and somewhat libertarian
Thatcherite
Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and general style of manag ...
party under its founder,
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
which mirrored some of the original ideology of the PVV. The VLD rapidly became more
centrist
Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to th ...
and gave up much of its
free market
In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any o ...
approach, partly under the influence of Verhofstadt's political scientist brother
Dirk Verhofstadt
Dirk Verhofstadt (born 25 August 1955 in Dendermonde) is a Belgian social liberal (Rawlsian) theorist and younger brother of former Belgian Prime Minister and former ALDE European Parliament Leader Guy Verhofstadt. He has a keen interest in ...
, although the VLD continued to contain conservative-libertarian and classical liberal wings with ties to think-tanks like
Nova Civitas. Party chairman
Bart Somers
Bartolomeus Jozef Lodewijk Rosalia "Bart" Somers (born 12 May 1964 in Mechelen) is a Belgian, Flemish politician. He is currently the mayor of Mechelen and President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Committee o ...
called in November 2006 for a "revolution" within the party, saying that "a liberal party", like the VLD, "can be only progressive and social".
From 2000 to 2004, during the second period of its participation in the Belgian federal government and under
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, the VLD allegedly lost most of its ideological appeal. Several of its thinkers such as (former member)
Boudewijn Bouckaert, president of
Nova Civitas, heavily criticised the party. Many others, particularly from the party's conservative and Flemish autonomist wing, resented the priority it placed on the 'Belgian compromise', which enabled the
French Community
The French Community (1958–1960; french: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which ...
's Socialist Party to gain a dominant position in the formulation of Belgian federal government policy.
In 2004, the VLD teamed up with the minority social-liberal party
Vivant
Vivant is a small social-liberal political party in Belgium founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD). Both parties are ...
for both the Flemish and
European elections
Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's.
Unti ...
. VLD-Vivant lost the elections to arch rivals CD&V and the
Flemish Bloc. The VLD fell from second to third place among the Flemish political parties, slipping narrowly behind the sp.a-Spirit cartel. Internal feuds, the support for electoral rights for immigrants and an unsuccessful economic policy were seen as the main reasons for its election defeat. From 2007 the party kept having electoral difficulties, first due to competition from split-off
List Dedecker
Libertarian, Direct, Democratic ( nl, Libertair, Direct, Democratisch; LDD) is a conservative-liberal, libertarian, right-wing populist Flemish political party in Belgium.
The party surprised commentators by winning five seats in the Chamber ...
and after 2010 from the liberal-conservative Flemish-nationalist party
N-VA
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).
Th ...
.
History
The VLD has its origins in the
Party for Freedom and Progress
The Party for Freedom and Progress ( nl, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang; french: Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès; german: Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt, PVV-PLP) was a liberal political party in Belgium which existed from 1961 unt ...
(which in turn was a successor to the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a l ...
), a bilingual party which stood in both the Flemish and Walloon regions of Belgium. As such the liberal party is the oldest political party of Belgium. In 1846,
Walthère Frère-Orban
Hubert Joseph Walthère Frère-Orban (24 April 1812 – 2 January 1896) was a Belgian liberal statesman.
Early life
He was born at Liège, received his education at home and in Paris, and began the practice of law in his native town. He identi ...
succeeded in creating a political program which could unite several liberal groups into one party. Before 1960, the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a l ...
of Belgium was barely organised. The school pact of 1958, as a result of which the most important argument for the traditional
anti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...
was removed, gave the necessary impetus for a thorough renewal. During the liberal party congress of 1961, the Liberal Party was reformed into the bilingual
Party for Freedom and Progress
The Party for Freedom and Progress ( nl, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang; french: Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès; german: Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt, PVV-PLP) was a liberal political party in Belgium which existed from 1961 unt ...
(PVV-PLP), and
Omer Vanaudenhove
Omer Rudolphe Jean, Viscount Vanaudenhove (3 December 1913 – 26 November 1994) was a Belgian liberal politician, mayor and minister. A businessman, Vanaudenhove was an owner of a shoe factory. He was burgomaster of Diest (1947–1955 and 1974 ...
became the chairman of the new party. The new liberal party, which struggled with an anti-clerical image, opened its doors for believers, but wasn't too concerned about the situation of workers and primarily defended the interests of employers. It is a central principle of Classical Liberalism that employers and employees do NOT have opposed long term interests.
In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the tensions between the different communities in Belgium rose and there were disagreements within the liberal movement as well. In 1972, the unitary PVV-PLP was split into separate a
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...
and a
Francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the ...
parties. On Flemish side, under the guidance of
Frans Grootjans
Frans Edward Elisabeth Grootjans (24 January 1922 – 20 February 1999), was a Belgian politician and minister for the PVV.
Grootjans was born at Wilrijk. He became a licentiate in the trade and consular sciences and was chief editor and dir ...
,
Herman Vanderpoorten
Herman Vanderpoorten (; 25 August 1922 – 3 September 1984) was a Belgian liberal politician. He was a son of the politician Arthur Vanderpoorten, the father of Marleen Vanderpoorten and an uncle of Patrick Dewael.
Education
He obtained a law ...
and
Willy De Clercq
Willy Clarisse Elvire Hector, Viscount De Clercq (8 July 1927 – 28 October 2011) was a Belgian liberal politician.
De Clercq was born in Ghent, son of Frans de Clercq.Etat présent de la noblesse belge 2015, p. 62 After his law and notariat s ...
, the PVV was created, on Walloon side
Milou Jeunehomme
Emile-Edgar (Milou) Jeunehomme (1924–2001) was a Belgian liberal politician.
On 15 January 1958 he became a member of parliament for the district Liège. He played for a long time an important role in the liberal party under Omer Vanaudenh ...
became the head of the PLP and Brussels got its own but totally disintegrated liberal party landscape. Willy De Clercq became the first chairman of the independent Party of Freedom and Progress ( nl, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang, PVV). De Clercq, together with Frans Grootjans and Herman Vanderpoorten, set out the lines for the new party. This reform was coupled an Ethical Congress, on which the PVV adopted very progressive and tolerant stances regarding abortion,
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different eut ...
,
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and leg ...
, homosexuality and
gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
.
In 1982, the 29-year-old reformer
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
became the chairman of the party, and even was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget from 1986 to 1988.
Annemie Neyts succeeded him as chairman, becoming the first female party chairman. In 1989, Verhofstadt once more became the chairman of the PVV, after his party had been condemned to the opposition by the
Christian People's Party (CVP) in 1987.
In 1992, the PVV was reformed into the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (''Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten'', VLD) under the impulse of Verhofstadt. Although the VLD was the successor of the PVV, many politicians with democratic nationalist or socialist roots joined the new party. Notable examples are
Jaak Gabriëls
Petrus Josephus Jacobus "Jaak" Gabriëls (born 22 September 1943) is a Belgian politician and member of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) ( nl, Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD). He graduated in 1965 at the Catholic University of Le ...
, then-president of the Flemish
People's Union, and
Hugo Coveliers
Hugo F.V. Coveliers (born 21 February 1947) is a retired Belgian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives between 1985 and 1995 and from 1993 to 2003. Since 2003 he has been a member of the Bel ...
. From the early 1990s, the VLD advanced in every election, only to get in government following the
1999 general election when the VLD became the largest party. Guy Verhofstadt became
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 ...
and
Patrick Dewael became
Minister-President of Flanders
The Minister-President of Flanders ( nl, Minister-president van Vlaanderen) is the head of the Flemish Government, which is the executive branch of the Flemish Region and Flemish Community.See the communities, regions and language areas of Belgiu ...
. They were both at the head of a coalition of liberals, social democrats and
greens.
2007 elections
Before the
2007 general election, the VLD participated in a cartel with
Vivant
Vivant is a small social-liberal political party in Belgium founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD). Both parties are ...
and
Liberal Appeal. In February 2007, it decided to cease the cartel and start operating under the name Open VLD. On 10 June 2007
general elections
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, Open VLD won 18 out of 150 seats in the
Chamber of Representatives and 5 out of 40 seats in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
.
2010 elections
In the
2010 general election, Open VLD won 13 out of 150 seats in the
Chamber of Representatives. After the long
government formation process, on 6 December 2011 the
Di Rupo Government
The Di Rupo Government was the federal cabinet of Belgium sworn in on 6 December 2011, after a record-breaking 541 days of negotiations following the June 2010 elections. The government included social democrats ( sp.a/ PS), Christian democrat ...
was formed, with Open VLD one of the six constituent parties.
Ideology and support
At its inception, the Open VLD was a
classical liberal
Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, econ ...
and somewhat
right-libertarian
Right-libertarianism,Rothbard, Murray (1 March 1971)"The Left and Right Within Libertarianism" ''WIN: Peace and Freedom Through Nonviolent Action''. 7 (4): 6–10. Retrieved 14 January 2020.Goodway, David (2006). '' Anarchist Seeds Beneath the ...
party with support for free-markets and deregulation. Former party leader Guy Verhofstadt was compared to
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
in his beliefs during his time as party chairman. In the 1990s, the party switched from a libertarian to a more
socially liberal
Cultural liberalism is a social philosophy which expresses the social dimension of liberalism and advocates the freedom of individuals to choose whether to conform to cultural norms. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, it is often expressed ...
position under
Bart Somers
Bartolomeus Jozef Lodewijk Rosalia "Bart" Somers (born 12 May 1964 in Mechelen) is a Belgian, Flemish politician. He is currently the mayor of Mechelen and President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Committee o ...
. Some of the party's ideological influences have been
Karl Popper,
John Stuart Mill,
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...
,
Amartya Sen
Amartya Kumar Sen (; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher, who since 1972 has taught and worked in the United Kingdom and the United States. Sen has made contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, economi ...
and
Martha Nussbaum
Martha Craven Nussbaum (; born May 6, 1947) is an American philosopher and the current Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she is jointly appointed in the law school and the philoso ...
. The party also contained members from both social democratic and Flemish nationalist liberal-conservative backgrounds who have influenced the VLD's course, such as former
Volksunie
People's Union ( nl, Volksunie, VU) was a Flemish nationalist political party in Belgium, formed in 1954 as a successor to the Christian Flemish People's Union.
The Volksunie defined itself as a big tent and catch-all party that combined support ...
leader
Jaak Gabriëls
Petrus Josephus Jacobus "Jaak" Gabriëls (born 22 September 1943) is a Belgian politician and member of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) ( nl, Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD). He graduated in 1965 at the Catholic University of Le ...
and
Hugo Coveliers
Hugo F.V. Coveliers (born 21 February 1947) is a retired Belgian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives between 1985 and 1995 and from 1993 to 2003. Since 2003 he has been a member of the Bel ...
falling into the latter camp. Others had ties to the conservative-libertarian organization
Nova Civitas, and were open to working with the
Vlaams Blok and later
Vlaams Belang
, ideology =
, predecessor = Vlaams Blok
, position =
, europarl = Identity and Democracy
, european = Identity and Democracy Party
, youth_wing = Vlaams Belang Jongeren
, colours = ...
party, although this was strongly opposed by the party leadership as a whole. Presently, the Open VLD retains an economically liberal position by supporting lower taxes and private property ownership while also closing tax loopholes. It supports a Canadian model of migration and for a more inclusive society towards immigrants, but claims not to endorse open borders and wants quicker deportation of illegal immigrants. It also retains a socially liberal stance on matters such as same-sex marriage, LGBT rights and introducing a
third gender
Third gender is a concept in which individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither man nor woman. It is also a social category present in societies that recognize three or more genders. The term ''third'' is usuall ...
option on official documents, but also believes the government shouldn't interfere with matters related to sexuality. For a period, the party was considered the main centre-right rival to the Christian Democratic
CD&V
Christian Democratic and Flemish (, , CD&V) is a Flemish Christian-democratic political party in Belgium. The party has historical ties to both trade unionism ( ACV) and trade associations ( UNIZO) and the Farmer's League. Until 2001, the party ...
in the Flemish region and saw its highest period of support in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, the emergence of the Flemish nationalist
N-VA
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).
Th ...
party and the
LDD drew some of the party's conservative leaning voters away and contributed to a decline in votes. Ideological disputes also caused some of the party's more conservative and traditionalist libertarian wing such as
Boudewijn Bouckaert,
Jean-Marie Dedecker and
Hugo Coveliers
Hugo F.V. Coveliers (born 21 February 1947) is a retired Belgian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives between 1985 and 1995 and from 1993 to 2003. Since 2003 he has been a member of the Bel ...
to leave the party. Dedecker later founded the LDD and Coveliers
VLOTT while others joined the N-VA.
Representation in EU institutions
The party is fairly pro-European, and sits in the
Renew Europe
Renew Europe (Renew) is a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament founded for the ninth European Parliament term. The group is the successor to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group which ...
group with two MEPs.
Then-Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (VLD) was rejected as a candidate for the presidency of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
in June 2004.
In the
European Committee of the Regions
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...
, Open VLD sits in the
Renew Europe CoR group, with one full and two alternate members for the 2020-2025 mandate. Jean-Luc Vanraes is Coordinator in the CIVEX Commission.
Members holding notable public offices
European politics
Federal politics
Regional politics
Provincial politics
Electoral results
Chamber of Representatives
Senate
Regional
Brussels Parliament
Flemish Parliament
Provincial councils
European Parliament
International
The party is a member of the
Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism aroun ...
, which was co-chaired by
Annemie Neyts, member of Open VLD.
Presidents
* 1992–1995
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
* 1995–1997
Herman De Croo
* 1997–1999
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
* 1999–2004
Karel De Gucht
* 2004
Dirk Sterckx
* 2004–2009
Bart Somers
Bartolomeus Jozef Lodewijk Rosalia "Bart" Somers (born 12 May 1964 in Mechelen) is a Belgian, Flemish politician. He is currently the mayor of Mechelen and President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Committee o ...
* 2009
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
* 2009–2012
Alexander De Croo
Alexander De Croo (born 3 November 1975) is a Belgian politician and businessman who has served as the prime minister of Belgium since October 2020.
De Croo was born in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant, and studied business engineering at the Vrije ...
* 2012
Vincent Van Quickenborne
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
* 2012–2020
Gwendolyn Rutten
Gwendolyn Angeline Albert Maria Rutten (born 26 June 1975) is a Belgian politician. She was the chairwoman of the Flemish liberal party until March 22, 2020. On 11 January 2017 she resigned from the Flemish Parliament in order to prepare her pa ...
* 2020–
Egbert Lachaert
Notable members
*
Maggie De Block
Maggie Celine Louise De Block (, born 28 April 1962) is a Belgian politician of the who has been chairing her party's group in the Chamber of Representatives since 2020.
De Block served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health in the govern ...
, Minister of Social Affairs and Health
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Fons Borginon
Alfons "Fons" Borginon (born 12 July 1966) is a Belgian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives between 1995 and 2007. Borginon was the last chairman of the Volksunie and Flemish Liberals and Democrats ( ...
, former VLD
floor leader
In politics, floor leaders, also known as a caucus leader, are leaders of their respective political party in a body of a legislature.
Philippines
In the Philippines each body of the bicameral Congress has a majority floor leader and a minor ...
in the
Belgian Chamber of Representatives
The Chamber of Representatives ( Dutch: , french: link=no, Chambre des représentants, german: link=no, Abgeordnetenkammer) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered ...
*
Patricia Ceysens, former Flemish Minister of the Economy and former VLD floor leader in the
Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament ( Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural commun ...
*
Karel De Gucht, former party leader and former Minister of Foreign Affairs
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Patrick Dewael, former minister-president of Flanders and former Minister of Internal Affairs
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Margriet Hermans
Margareta Maria Josepha (Margriet) Hermans (born 1954) is a Belgian singer, former radio and TV talk show host, politician and a member of the Open VLD
french: Libéraux et démocrates flamands ouverts
, abbreviation = Open Vld
, logo ...
, former member of the Flemish Parliament and senator
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Marino Keulen, former Flemish Minister of Integration
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Goedele Liekens
Goedele Maria Gertrude Liekens (born 21 January 1963 in Aarschot
Aarschot () is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, ...
, sexologist and TV presenter
*
Fientje Moerman
Joséphine Rebecca Marie Julienne Bertha "Fientje" Moerman (born 19 October 1958) is a Belgian liberal politician and currently a judge on the Constitutional Court of Belgium.
Education
In 1981 Fientje Moerman obtained a master's degree in la ...
, former vice-minister-president of Flanders
*
Annemie Neyts, former party leader, former chairwoman of the
Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism aroun ...
and former party leader of the
ELDR Party.
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Karel Poma
Karel Emiel Hubert, Baron Poma (14 March 1920 – 27 December 2014) was a Belgian liberal and politician for the PVV.
He was a son of Carolus Poma, who was a lieutenant of the Antwerp fire brigade, and subsequently council member (1946–19 ...
, former minister and member of parliament
*
Bart Somers
Bartolomeus Jozef Lodewijk Rosalia "Bart" Somers (born 12 May 1964 in Mechelen) is a Belgian, Flemish politician. He is currently the mayor of Mechelen and President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Committee o ...
, former minister-president of Flanders and former party leader
*
Bart Tommelein
Bart Joris Tommelein (born 4 May 1962) is a Belgian politician of Open Vld who was minister in the Bourgeois Government and is the incumbent mayor of Ostend.
Career
Bart Tommelein was born in Ostend on 4 May 1962.
He started in the People's Un ...
, Flemish Deputy Minister-President and Flemish Minister of Budget, Finance and Energy
*
Jef Valkeniers, doctor and politician
*
Dirk Van Mechelen
Dirk Louis Maria Van Mechelen (born 27 August 1957) was the Flemish minister of Finance and Budget and Town and Country Planning. He is a member of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats.
Education
He obtained a degree in history from the Kat ...
, former Flemish Minister of Finance and Budget and Town and Country Planning
*
Vincent Van Quickenborne
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
, former minister of economy, also responsible for the simplification of the administration
*
Guy Vanhengel, Brussels Minister of Finance and Budget
*
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
, former party leader and former prime minister
*
Marc Verwilghen, former minister of the Economy, Trade, Science and Energy
Notable former members
*
Boudewijn Bouckaert, a former VLD board member who left the party subsequently to Dedecker's exclusion, believing the party turned "left-liberal". He and Dedecker are founders of a new political party, List Dedecker, later renamed
Libertarian, Direct, Democratic.
*
Hugo Coveliers
Hugo F.V. Coveliers (born 21 February 1947) is a retired Belgian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives between 1985 and 1995 and from 1993 to 2003. Since 2003 he has been a member of the Bel ...
, left the VLD to found his own political party
VLOTT.
*
Jean-Marie Dedecker, was excluded from the VLD after several conflicts with the top of the party. He asked for an economic policy more in favour of free markets and limited government and believed that the party was too closely aligned with the Socialists. He founded the List Dedecker party, later
Libertarian, Direct, Democratic.
*
Leo Govaerts, left the VLD to found his own political party
Veilig Blauw (''Safe Blue'').
*
Ward Beysen, left the VLD to found his own political party
Liberal Appeal.
*
Sihame El Kaouakibi
Sihame El Kaouakibi (born 9 July 1986) is a Belgian politician and the founder of the ''Let's Go Urban'' project. In 2021, she was accused of fraudulent use of government subsidies. Almost 1 million euro is claimed to have been used for her own ...
, left the VLD after claims of embezzlement.
See also
*
Contributions to liberal theory
Contribution or Contribute may refer to:
* ''Contribution'' (album), by Mica Paris (1990)
** "Contribution" (song), title song from the album
* Contribution (law), an agreement between defendants in a suit to apportion liability
*Contributions, ...
*
Liberaal Vlaams Verbond
The Liberaal Vlaams Verbond (E: Liberal Flemish League) was founded in 1913. From its origin it wanted to promote the Flemish cause and drew attention to social matters, within the Belgian Liberal Party. Together with the Willemsfonds and the Lib ...
(LVV)
*
Liberal Flemish Students' Union
*
Liberal Archive
*
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into ...
*
Liberales
Liberales is an independent liberal think tank (some tend to call Liberales left-liberal), located in Ghent, Flanders, Belgium. The organization promotes progressive liberalism and supports individual freedom, justice, a certain degree of ...
*
Liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for ...
*
Liberalism in Belgium
This article gives an overview of liberalism in Belgium. Liberalism was a dominant force since the Belgian independence from the Netherlands. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representat ...
*
Liberalism worldwide
This article gives information on liberalism worldwide. It is an overview of parties that adhere to some form of liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world.
Introduction
The definition of liberal party is highly deba ...
*
List of liberal parties
This article gives information on liberalism worldwide. It is an overview of parties that adhere to some form of liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world.
Introduction
The definition of liberal party is highly deb ...
References
External links
*
jongvld.beopenvldvrouwen.be
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flemish Liberals And Democrats
Political parties established in 1992
1992 establishments in Belgium
Conservative liberal parties
Classical liberal parties
Liberal International
Liberal parties in Belgium
Flemish political parties in Belgium
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party member parties
Pro-European political parties in Belgium