Parliament of Wallonia

The Parliament of Wallonia (French: Parlement de Wallonie) (Walloon Parliament (French: Parlement wallon) in the decrees) is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium (the other two being Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region). The parliament building, the former Hospice Saint-Gilles, is situated in Namur, the capital of Wallonia, at the symbolic confluence of the Meuse and the Sambre, the two main rivers of the most inhabited parts of Wallonia, the Sillon industriel. On the other side of the Meuse, facing the Parliament, is the Élysette, the seat of the Government of Wallonia.

Parliament of Wallonia

Type
Type
Leadership
President
Jean-Claude Marcourt, PS
since 13 September 2019
Structure
Seats75
Political groups
Government (55)
  •   Socialist Party (23)
  •   Reform Movement (20)
  •   Ecolo (12)

Opposition (20)

Length of term
5 years
Elections
Last election
26 May 2019
Next election
2024
Meeting place
Saint-Gilles Hospice, Namur
Website
http://parlement.wallonie.be/

History and names

A 1974 law on the temporary creation of regions installed a Walloon Regional Council (alongside a Flemish Regional Council), which were both abolished in 1977. At the creation of the first (permanent) regional assemblies in 1980 (second state reform), the body was also called "Walloon Regional Council" (Conseil régional wallon). Its members were the national representatives and senators elected in the Walloon Region, who thus by law held two offices simultaneously.

The fourth state reform (1993) transformed Belgium into a federal state and changed the "Walloon Regional Council" (Conseil régional wallon) into the "Council of the Walloon Region" (Conseil de la Région wallonne), which was directly elected for the first time on 21 May 1995. Shortly before these elections, in April 1995, the Council adopted a resolution to use the terms "Walloon Parliament" (Parlement wallon) and "Walloon deputies" (députés wallons).

A 2005 constitutional amendment revised the official terminology for all community and regional councils into community and regional parliaments, changing the "Council of the Walloon Region" into the "Walloon Parliament" (Parlement wallon).

In 2015, the Parliament opted to use the term "Parliament of Wallonia" (Parlement de Wallonie) instead of "Walloon Parliament".

Saint-Gilles Hospice from the Meuse, beneath the Namur Citadel

Composition

All members of the Parliament of Wallonia are also members of the Parliament of the French Community, except for German-speaking members (currently Monika Dethier-Neumann and Edmund Stoffels) who represent the German-speaking population and are advisory members of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community.

The parliament exercises several functions:

  • It discusses and passes decrees, and they can take initiatives to draw them up. After this, decrees are sanctioned and promulgated by the Walloon Government.
  • It controls the Walloon Government. Control is exercised via the vote.
  • It ratifies the international treaties linked to its powers.

Compositions

2019–2024 (current)

Affiliation Members
  Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party") 23
  Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement") 20
  Ecolo ("Environmentalist") 12
  Parti du Travail de Belgique ("Workers' Party of Belgium") 10
  Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre") 10
 Total 75

2014–2019

This is the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 2014 regional election.

AffiliationMembers
 Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party") 30
 Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement") 25
 Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre") 13
 Ecolo ("Environmentalist") 4
 Parti du Travail de Belgique ("Workers' Party of Belgium") 2
 Parti populaire ("People's Party") 1
 Total
75

2009–2014

This is the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 2009 regional election. The PS, Ecolo and CDH formed together a government.

Seat division of the Parliament after the elections of 2009
AffiliationMembers
 Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party") 29
 Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement") 19
 Ecolo ("Environmentalist") 14
 Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre") 13
 Total
75

2004–2009

This was the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 2004 regional election. The PS and CDH formed together a government.

Seat division of the Parliament after the elections of 2004
AffiliationMembers
 Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party") 34
 Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement") 20
 Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre") 14
 Front National ("National Front") 4
 Ecolo ("Environmentalist") 3
 Total
75

1999–2004

This was the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 1999 regional election. The PS, Ecolo and PRL formed together a government.

Seat division of the Parliament after the elections of 1999
AffiliationMembers
 Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party") 25
 Parti Réformateur Libéral ("Reformist Movement")
with Front Démocratique des Francophones ("Democratic Front of the Francophones")
21
 Ecolo ("Environmentalist") 14
 Parti Social Chrétien ("Christian Socialist Party") 14
 Front National ("National Front") 1
 Total
75

1995–1999

8 30 16 19 2
Ecolo PS PSC PRL + FDF FN

1999–2004

14 25 14 21 1
Ecolo PS PSC PRL + FDF FN

2004–2009

3 34 14 20 4
Ecolo PS CDH MR FN

2009–2014

14 29 13 19
Ecolo PS CDH MR

2014–2019

2 4 30 13 25 1
PTB–GO! Ecolo PS CDH MR PP

2019–present

10 12 23 10 20
PTB–GO! Ecolo PS CDH MR

Constituencies

The Walloon Parliament is the only Belgian parliament which still uses arrondissement-based constituencies. The federal Chamber of Representatives and the Flemish Parliament both merged theirs into larger province-based constituencies.

A January 2018 law merged both Luxembourg constituencies and reformed the Hainaut constituencies (* = boundaries changed), following a successful challenge by Ecolo to the Constitutional Court that constituencies with too few seats are unrepresentative.

ProvinceConstituency1995 & 19992004 & 200920142019
LiègeLiège1413
Verviers6
Huy-Waremme4
HainautCharleroi10910 *
Thuin3
Tournai-Ath-Mouscron77 *
Mons655 *
Soignies45 *
Walloon BrabantNivelles78
NamurNamur67
Dinant-Philippeville34
LuxembourgArlon-Marche-Bastogne36
Neufchâteau-Virton2

See also

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