DéFI (), a
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
of Démocrate fédéraliste indépendant () is a
regionalist and
social-liberal political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area'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
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
mainly known for defending
French-speakers' interests in and near the
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
region.
Founded in 1964, the party is led by
Sophie Rohonyi, a former member of the
Chamber of Representatives. The party's current name, ''DéFI'' or ''Défi'', was adopted in 2016 and is a
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
of ''Démocrate, Fédéraliste, Indépendant'' () meaning "challenge" in
French.
History
The party was founded as the Democratic Front of Francophones (''Front Démocratique des Francophones'', FDF) on 11 May 1964 as a response to the
language laws of 1962. The party had instant success in Brussels: it first contested parliamentary elections
one year later, where it won one senator and 3 seats in the Chamber of Representatives for the
constituency of Brussels. Its number of seats increased further in the subsequent parliamentary elections. The party also dominated Brussels' municipal politics until 1982.
Initially the party cooperated with the
Walloon Rally. From 1977 until 1980, the FDF participated in the federal governments led by
Leo Tindemans and subsequently
Wilfried Martens. From 1992, the FDF regularly competed in electoral alliance with the larger
Liberal Reformist Party (PRL). In 2002 the PRL, the FDF, the
MCC and the
PFF formed the
Reformist Movement (MR), a closer alliance of Francophone
liberal parties.
In January 2010 the party name was amended to Francophone Democratic Federalists (''Fédéralistes Démocrates Francophones''), maintaining its original acronym.
In September 2011, the FDF decided to leave the alliance over disagreements with MR president
Charles Michel
Charles Michel (; born 21 December 1975) is a Belgian politician who served as the president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024. He previously served as the Prime Minister of Belgium, prime minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. Miche ...
on the agreement concerning the splitting of the
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde district during the
2010–2011 Belgian government formation.
The party adopted its current name, DéFI, in November 2015.
Policies
The party advocates the extension of the bilingual status of
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
to some
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the
Brussels Periphery (in
Flemish Brabant,
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region (, ), usually simply referred to as Flanders ( ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—alongside the Wallonia, Walloon Region and the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region. ...
), where a majority of the population has become French-speaking in recent years, but whose official language remains
Dutch. The party advocates for the right to use French rather than Dutch when dealing with local authorities in Flanders. This demand is rejected by Flemish parties, who say that French-speaking residents of the Flemish Region should learn Dutch and argue that the
Francization of Brussels should not be allowed to expand into Flanders.
Representation
Notable elected members include:
*
Véronique Caprasse, member of the
Chamber of Representatives for Brussels and former mayor of
Kraainem (2013–2015)
*
Bernard Clerfayt
Bernard Clerfayt (; born 30 December 1961, in Uccle) is a Belgian politician. He has been the mayor of Schaerbeek since 2001 and is currently vice-president of the Front Démocratique des Francophones (FDF). As is common in Belgium, he holds a ...
, mayor of
Schaerbeek
(French language, French, ; former History of Dutch orthography, Dutch spelling) or (modern Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Reg ...
since 2000 and member of the
Brussels Parliament
* , Minister in the Vervoort II Brussels Government (2014–2019) and mayor of
Auderghem
*
Cécile Jodogne, Secretary of State in the Vervoort II Brussels Government (2014–2019)
*
Olivier Maingain, former party leader, member of the
Chamber of Representatives for Brussels since 1991 and mayor of
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert since 2006
Election results
Chamber of Representatives
European Parliament
See also
*
Belgian French
Belgian French () is the variety of French spoken mainly among the French Community of Belgium, alongside related Oïl languages of the region such as Walloon, Picard, Champenois, and Lorrain (Gaumais). The French language spoken in Belgi ...
*
French Community of Belgium
In Belgium, the French Community (, , CFB) refers to one of the three constituent constitutional linguistic communities. Since 2011, the French Community has used the name Wallonia-Brussels Federation (, , FWB), which is controversial because ...
*
Languages of Belgium
As a result of being in between Latin and Germanic Europe, and historically being split between different principalities, the nation has multiple official languages. The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federalistes Democrates Francophones
Centrist parties in Belgium
Francophone political parties in Belgium
Liberal parties in Belgium
Political parties established in 1964
1964 establishments in Belgium
Regionalist parties