french: Libéraux et démocrates flamands ouverts
, abbreviation = Open Vld
, logo =
, leader1_title = President
, leader1_name =
Egbert Lachaert
Egbert R. Lachaert (born 4 July 1977, in Ghent) is a Belgian lawyer, politician and party chairman of the Open VLD.
Biography
Lachaert was born in Ghent and is the son of Flemish politician Patrick Lachaert. He studied law at Ghent University wh ...
, foundation = 1992 (VLD)
2007 (Open Vld)
, predecessor =
Party for Freedom and Progress
, headquarters = Melsensstraat 34 Brussels
, membership_year = 2018
, membership = 60,000
, ideology =
, position =
Centre-right
, international =
Liberal International
, 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 Europ ...
, europarl =
Renew Europe
, affiliation1_title = Francophone counterpart
, affiliation1 =
Reformist Movement
, affiliation2_title = Germanophone counterpart
, affiliation2 =
Party for Freedom and Progress
, seats1_title =
Chamber of Representatives
, seats1 =
, seats2_title =
Senate
, seats2 =
, seats3_title =
Flemish Parliament
, seats3 =
, seats4_title =
Brussels Parliament
, seats4 =
, seats5_title =
European Parliament
, seats5 =
, seats6_title =
Flemish Provincial Councils
, seats6 =
, colours =
Blue
, website =
, country = Belgium
The Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (, ; Open Vld) is a Flemish
conservative-liberal political party in Belgium.
The party was created in 1992 from the former bilingual
Party for Freedom and Progress (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 (MR) in Wallonia. The party led the government for three cabinets under
Guy Verhofstadt from 1999 until March 2008. Open VLD then formed the Federal Government (the so-called "Swedish government") with
N-VA,
CD&V and Mouvement Réformateur.
In the
Flemish Parliament, the VLD formed a
coalition government with sp.a-Spirit and
Christian Democratic and Flemish (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 elect ...
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 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 liberali ...
and somewhat libertarian
Thatcherite party under its founder,
Guy Verhofstadt 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 the ...
and gave up much of its
free market 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 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
german: Premierminister von Belgien
, insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg
, insigniasize = 100px
, insigniacaption = Coat of arms
, insigniaalt =
, flag = Government ...
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'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 for both the Flemish and
European elections. 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.
History
The VLD has its origins in the
Party for Freedom and Progress (which in turn was a successor to the
Liberal Party), 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 identif ...
succeeded in creating a political program which could unite several liberal groups into one party. Before 1960, the
Liberal Party of Belgium was barely organised. The school pact of 1958, as a result of which the most important argument for the traditional
anti-clericalism 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 (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 and a
Francophone parties. On Flemish side, under the guidance of
Frans Grootjans,
Herman Vanderpoorten and
Willy De Clercq, 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,
adultery, 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 became the chairman of the party, and even was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget from 1986 to 1988.
Annemie Neyts
Anne-Marie Cécile J. Neyts-Uyttebroeck (; born 17 June 1944) is a Belgian politician and was a Member of the European Parliament for Flanders with the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats, member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Eu ...
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 ...
, then-president of the Flemish
People's Union, and
Hugo Coveliers. 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 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 Bel ...
. 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 and
Liberal Appeal
The Liberal Appeal ( nl, Liberaal Appèl, LA) was a Flemish conservative-liberal political party.
Founded on March 22, 2002 by the liberal MEP Ward Beysen (1941-2005) as a secession of the VLD, mostly in Antwerp. The Liberaal Appèl was fir ...
. In February 2007, it decided to cease the cartel and start operating under the name Open VLD. On 10 June 2007
general elections, Open VLD won 18 out of 150 seats in the
Chamber of Representatives and 5 out of 40 seats in the
Senate.
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 was formed, with Open VLD one of the six constituent parties.
Ideology and support
At its inception, the Open VLD was a
classical liberal 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 in his beliefs during his time as party chairman. In the 1990s, the party switched from a libertarian to a more
socially liberal position under
Bart Somers. Some of the party's ideological influences have been
Karl Popper,
John Stuart Mill,
Thomas Paine,
Amartya Sen and
Martha Nussbaum. 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 supp ...
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 ...
and
Hugo Coveliers 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 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 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 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 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 to leave the party. Dedecker later founded the LDD and Coveliers
VLOTT
VLOTT is a minor Belgian right-wing liberal or fortuynist political party. Its title, ''VLOTT'', is an acronym for "Flemish, Liberal, Independent, Tolerant, Transparent" (''Vlaams, Liberaal, Onafhankelijk, Tolerant, Transparant''). It was found ...
while others joined the N-VA.
Representation in EU institutions
The party is fairly pro-European, and sits in the
Renew Europe 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, 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, which was co-chaired by
Annemie Neyts
Anne-Marie Cécile J. Neyts-Uyttebroeck (; born 17 June 1944) is a Belgian politician and was a Member of the European Parliament for Flanders with the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats, member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Eu ...
, member of Open VLD.
Presidents
* 1992–1995
Guy Verhofstadt
* 1995–1997
Herman De Croo
* 1997–1999
Guy Verhofstadt
* 1999–2004
Karel De Gucht
* 2004
Dirk Sterckx
Dirk Jozef Maria Sterckx (), born on 25 September 1946 in Herent, is a Belgian politician of the Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 until 2011, representing Flanders.
In parliament, Sterck ...
* 2004–2009
Bart Somers
* 2009
Guy Verhofstadt
* 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
* 2012–2020
Gwendolyn Rutten
* 2020–
Egbert Lachaert
Egbert R. Lachaert (born 4 July 1977, in Ghent) is a Belgian lawyer, politician and party chairman of the Open VLD.
Biography
Lachaert was born in Ghent and is the son of Flemish politician Patrick Lachaert. He studied law at Ghent University wh ...
Notable members
*
Maggie De Block, Minister of Social Affairs and Health
*
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 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
Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United S ...
, former Flemish Minister of the Economy and former VLD floor leader in the
Flemish Parliament
*
Karel De Gucht, former party leader and former Minister of Foreign Affairs
*
Patrick Dewael, former minister-president of Flanders and former Minister of Internal Affairs
*
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. She was elected as a member of the Belgian Senate
The Senate ( nl, Senaat, ; french: Sén ...
, former member of the Flemish Parliament and senator
*
Marino Keulen
Marino Ghislainus Keulen (born 24 October 1963) is a Belgian politician from Flanders and a member of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats party. He is a representative in the Flemish Parliament, and served in the Flemish Government of 2004 ...
, former Flemish Minister of Integration
*
Goedele Liekens
Goedele Maria Gertrude Liekens (born 21 January 1963 in Aarschot) is a Belgian politician, sexologist and television presenter, currently serving as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for the party Open VLD, to which she was elect ...
, sexologist and TV presenter
*
Fientje Moerman, former vice-minister-president of Flanders
*
Annemie Neyts
Anne-Marie Cécile J. Neyts-Uyttebroeck (; born 17 June 1944) is a Belgian politician and was a Member of the European Parliament for Flanders with the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats, member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Eu ...
, former party leader, former chairwoman of the
Liberal International and former party leader of the
ELDR Party.
*
Karel Poma, former minister and member of parliament
*
Bart Somers, former minister-president of Flanders and former party leader
*
Bart Tommelein, Flemish Deputy Minister-President and Flemish Minister of Budget, Finance and Energy
*
Jef Valkeniers
Jozef Maria Zacharias (Jef) Valkeniers (Schepdaal, Belgium - 29 December 1932) is a physician-neuropsychiatrist and a Flemish politician.
Biography
Jef Valkeniers was born in 1932 as the seventh child in a large brewer family. He grew up in Sch ...
, doctor and politician
*
Dirk Van Mechelen, former Flemish Minister of Finance and Budget and Town and Country Planning
*
Vincent Van Quickenborne, former minister of economy, also responsible for the simplification of the administration
*
Guy Vanhengel
Guy Vanhengel (born 10 June 1958) is a Flemish politician for the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD).
Vanhengel graduated (1979) as a teacher and taught class until 1981. After his army service (1981–1982) he started working as a spokespers ...
, Brussels Minister of Finance and Budget
*
Guy Verhofstadt, former party leader and former prime minister
*
Marc Verwilghen
Marc Ernest Elisabeth Robert Juliette Verwilghen, born 21 September 1952 in Dendermonde, is a Belgian politician.
Verwilghen studied law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the University of Ghent and is the holder of an honorary doctorate fr ...
, 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, left the VLD to found his own political party
VLOTT
VLOTT is a minor Belgian right-wing liberal or fortuynist political party. Its title, ''VLOTT'', is an acronym for "Flemish, Liberal, Independent, Tolerant, Transparent" (''Vlaams, Liberaal, Onafhankelijk, Tolerant, Transparant''). It was found ...
.
*
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
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
, left the VLD to found his own political party
Liberal Appeal
The Liberal Appeal ( nl, Liberaal Appèl, LA) was a Flemish conservative-liberal political party.
Founded on March 22, 2002 by the liberal MEP Ward Beysen (1941-2005) as a secession of the VLD, mostly in Antwerp. The Liberaal Appèl was fir ...
.
*
Sihame El Kaouakibi, 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, a ...
*
Liberaal Vlaams Verbond (LVV)
*
Liberal Flemish Students' Union
*
Liberal Archive
*
Liberal democracy
*
Liberales
*
Liberalism
*
Liberalism in Belgium
*
Liberalism worldwide
*
List of liberal parties
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