Rally Wallonia France Rassemblement Wallonie France | |
---|---|
Leader | Laurent Brogniet |
Founded | 27 November 1999 |
Ideology | Walloon Movement Partitionism Rattachism Pluralism Republicanism |
Colors | Blue, white, and red |
Website | |
http://rwf.be | |
The Rassemblement Wallonie France (Rally Wallonia France, RWF) is a small political party in Belgium. It is active in Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region. In Brussels it is known as the Rassemblement Bruxelles France or RBF. Its aim is the secession of Wallonia, Brussels and the six Flemish municipalities with language facilities for French-speakers around Brussels from Belgium and to unite them with France.
The party's symbol is the red rooster, representing Wallonia, inside a hexagon, which is a common geometric representation of France. The blue, white, and red represent the colours of the French national flag.
Defending the principles of republicanism, democracy, pluralism, and socialism, the party was founded on 27 November 1999 in Charleroi. It was established on the basis of a reconciliation between three organisations: André Libert's Rassemblement Wallon (RW); Paul-Henry Gendebien's Democratic Alliance Wallone (AWD), which was formed in 1985 when Gendebien left the Social Christian Party (PSC); and the Walloon Movement for the Return to France (RF), chaired by Maurice Lebeau.
In the 2003 federal elections, the party was presented under the label "RWF-RBF". It was presented again under the label "RWF" in the 2007 federal elections, and received 1.5% of votes in the Senate against 1.2% in the Chamber of Representatives in Wallonia. [1]
The RWF is present in every election in Wallonia and Brussels. In the 2009 regional elections, the party won 1.37% of the vote for the Walloon Parliament. In the 2009 European elections, it won 0.43% of the vote in the French-speaking electoral college. [2]
The RWF was refounded in 2010 on the proposal of President Paul-Henry Gendebien and the Executive Board.
In March 2012, the Constitutional Convention elected Laurent Brogniet as the new President of the RWF, and Paul-Henry Gendebien became founding president. New statutes were subject to the approval of Congress.
Walloons are a Gallo-Romance ethnic group native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of Flanders, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Walloons primarily speak langues d'oïl such as Belgian French, Picard and Walloon. Walloons are primarily Roman Catholic, with a historical minority of Protestantism which dates back to the Reformation era.
The politics of Belgium take place in the framework of a federal, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy. The King of the Belgians is the head of state, and the prime minister of Belgium is the head of government, in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives. The federation is made up of (language-based) communities and (territorial) regions. Philippe is the seventh and current King of the Belgians, having ascended the throne on 21 July 2013.
Wallonia, officially the Walloon Region, is one of the three regions of Belgium—along with Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the country, Wallonia is primarily French-speaking. It accounts for 55% of Belgium's territory, but only a third of its population. The Walloon Region and the French Community of Belgium, which is the political entity responsible for matters related mainly to culture and education, are independent concepts, because the French Community of Belgium encompasses both Wallonia and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region but not the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
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Rattachism or Reunionism is a political ideology which calls for the French-speaking part of Belgium or Wallonia to secede from Belgium and become part of France. Brussels, which is majority French-speaking but enclaved in Flanders, may be included within this ideology; as may the six Flemish municipalities with language facilities for French-speakers around Brussels. It can be considered a French-speaking equivalent of Grootneerlandisme in Flanders.
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