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 Belgiumportal |
This is an overview of all regular elections held in the Kingdom of Belgium since its independence. This excludes local referendums and special elections (by-elections) that existed before 1919. Municipal elections prior to 1919 are not listed either.
Elections to the temporary National Congress:
Representatives were elected for a 4-year term; half of the Chamber was up for election each two years. Senators were elected for an 8-year term; half of the Senate was up for election each four years. The first series (referenced as "E" here) consisted of the provinces of East Flanders, Hainaut, Liège and Limburg; the second series ("A" below) of Antwerp, Brabant, Luxembourg, Namur and West Flanders.
An equivalent system applied to elections for municipal and provincial councils.
| Year | Provincial elections | Legislative elections |
|---|---|---|
| 1831 | — | 29 August 1831 |
| 1833 | — | 23 May 1833 (full: Chamber fully renewed following its dissolution) [1] |
| 1835 | — | 9 June 1835 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
| Municipal law and provincial law of 1836 | ||
| 1836 | 29 September 1836 (full) | — |
| 1837 | — | 13 June 1837 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1838 | 28 May 1838 (partial) | — |
| 1839 | — | 11 June 1839 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
| 1840 | 25 May 1840 (partial) | — |
| 1841 | — | 8 June 1841 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1842 | 23 May 1842 (partial) | — |
| 1843 | — | 12 June 1843 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
| 1844 | 27 May 1844 (partial) | — |
| 1845 | — | 10 June 1845 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1846 | 25 May 1846 (partial) | — |
| 1847 | — | 8 June 1847 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
| Equalisation of cens (tax as part of censitary suffrage) to the constitutional minimum by law of 12 March 1848. | ||
| 1848 | 12 juli 1848 (full) | 13 June 1848 (full: both chambers) [2] |
| 1850 | 27 May 1850 (partial) | 11 June 1850 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1851 | — | 27 September 1851 (full: Senate) [3] |
| 1852 | 24 May 1852 (partial) | 8 June 1852 (partial: Chamber E) |
| 1854 | 22 May 1854 (partial) | 13 June 1854 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1855 | — | 12 June 1855 (partial: Senate E) |
| 1856 | 26 May 1856 (partial) | 10 June 1856 (partial: Chamber E) |
| 1857 | — | 10 December 1857 (full: Chamber) [1] |
| 1858 | 24 May 1858 (partial) | — |
| 1859 | — | 14 June 1859 (partial: Chamber A and Senate A) |
| 1860 | 28 May 1860 (partial) | — |
| 1861 | — | 11 June 1861 (partial: Chamber E) |
| 1862 | 26 May 1862 (partial) | — |
| 1863 | — | 9 June 1863 (partial: Chamber A and Senate E) |
| 1864 | 23 May 1864 (partial) | 11 August 1864 (full: Chamber) [1] |
| 1866 | 28 May 1866 (partial) | 12 June 1866 (partial: Chamber E) |
| 1867 | — | 11 June 1867 (partial: Senate A) |
| 1868 | 25 May 1868 (partial) | 9 June 1868 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1870 | 23 May 1870 (partial) | 11 June 1870 (partial: Chamber E) 2 August 1870 (full: both chambers) [2] |
| 1872 | 27 May 1872 (full) | 11 June 1872 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1874 | 25 May 1874 (partial) | 9 June 1874 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
| 1876 | 22 May 1876 (partial) | 13 June 1876 (partial: Chamber A) |
| Increased regulation of election proceedings, including voting booths and guarantees for secret ballots, by law of 9 July 1877. | ||
| 1878 | 27 May 1878 (partial) | 11 June 1878 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
| 1880 | 24 May 1880 (partial) | 8 June 1880 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1882 | 22 May 1882 (partial) | 13 June 1882 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
| 1884 | 25 May 1884 (partial) | 10 June 1884 (partial: Chamber A) and 8 July 1884 (full: Senate) [3] |
| 1886 | 23 May 1886 (partial) | 8 June 1886 (partial: Chamber E) |
| 1888 | 27 May 1888 (partial) | 12 June 1888 (partial: Chamber A and Senate A) |
| 1890 | 25 May 1890 (partial) | 10 June 1890 (partial: Chamber E) |
| 1892 | 22 May 1892 (partial) | 14 June 1892 (full: both chambers) [4] |
Constitutional reforms of 1893 and Electoral Code of 12 April 1894:
| ||
| 1894 | 28 October 1894 (full) | 14 October 1894 (full: both chambers) [2] |
| 1896 | 26 July 1896 (partial) | 5 July 1896 (partial: Chamber A) |
Provincial Elections Law of 22 April 1898:
| ||
| 1898 | 5 June 1898 (partial) | 22 May 1898 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
| Legislative elections now use a proportional system with substitutes instead of a majority system with run-off and special elections | ||
| 1900 | 3 June 1900 (partial) | 27 May 1900 (full: both chambers) [2] |
| 1902 | — | 25 May 1902 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1904 | 5 June 1904 (partial) | 29 May 1904 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
| 1906 | — | 27 May 1906 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1908 | 14 June 1908 (partial) | 24 May 1908 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
| 1910 | — | 22 May 1910 (partial: Chamber A) |
| 1912 | 9 June 1912 (partial) | 2 June 1912 (full: both chambers) [2] |
| 1914 | — | 24 May 1914 (partial: Chamber E) |
| Year | Municipal elections | Provincial elections | Legislative elections | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Following World War I, major reforms were passed:
| ||||
| 1919 | — | — | 16 November 1919 [4] | |
| 1920 | — | — | 16 May 1920 (special Senate election) | |
Provincial Elections Law of 19 October 1921:
| ||||
| 1921 | 24 April 1921 | 27 November 1921 | 20 November 1921 [2] | |
| 1925 | — | 8 November 1925 | 5 April 1925 [2] | |
| 1926 | 10 October 1926 | — | ||
| 1929 | — | 9 June 1929 | 26 May 1929 | |
| 1932 | 9 October 1932 | 4 December 1932 | 27 November 1932 [2] | |
| 1935 | — | — | 14 April 1935 (partial Chamber election in Brussels) | |
| 1936 | — | 7 June 1936 | 24 May 1936 [2] | |
| 1937 | — | — | 11 April 1937 (partial Chamber election in Brussels) | |
| 1938 | 9 October 1938 | — | ||
| 1939 | — | — | 2 April 1939 [2] (snap) | |
| World War II | ||||
| 1946 | 24 November 1946 | 24 February 1946 | 17 February 1946 [2] | |
Reforms:
| ||||
| 1949 | — | 26 June 1949 [2] | ||
| 1950 | — | 4 June 1950 [2] (snap) | 12 March 1950 (referendum) | |
| 1952 | 12 October 1952 | — | ||
| 1954 | — | 11 April 1954 [4] | ||
| 1958 | 12 October 1958 | 1 June 1958 [4] | ||
| 1961 | — | 26 March 1961 [2] (snap) | ||
| 1964 | 11 October 1964 | — | ||
| 1965 | — | 23 May 1965 [4] | ||
| 1968 | — | 31 March 1968 [4] (snap) | ||
| 1970 | 11 October 1970 | — | ||
| 1971 | — | 7 November 1971 [2] | 21 November 1971 (Brussels Agglomeration Council) | |
| 1974 | — | 10 March 1974 [2] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
| Large-scale merging of municipalities; their number was reduced from 2,663 to 589 | ||||
| 1976 | 10 October 1976 | — | ||
| 1977 | — | 17 April 1977 [2] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
| 1978 | — | 17 December 1978 [4] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
| 1979 | — | — | 10 June 1979 (European) | |
| 1982 | 10 October 1982 | — | ||
| 1981 | — | 8 November 1981 [4] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
| 1984 | — | — | 17 June 1984 (European) | |
| 1985 | — | 13 October 1985 [2] | ||
| 1986 | — | — | 26 October 1986 (German-speaking Community) | |
| 1987 | — | 13 December 1987 [4] (snap) | ||
| 1988 | 9 October 1988 | — | ||
| 1989 | — | — | 18 June 1989 (European); 18 June 1989 (Brussels) | |
| 1990 | — | — | 28 October 1990 (German-speaking Community) | |
| 1991 | — | 24 November 1991 [4] | ||
The 1993–1994 fourth state reform had far-reaching consequences for the institutional structure of the country.
Local elections (six-year terms) include provincial and municipal elections, as well as district elections in Antwerp.
Regional elections (five-year terms, concurrently with European elections) are elections to the different parliaments of communities and regions: the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon Parliament, the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Parliament of the German-speaking Community and indirectly the Parliament of the French Community and the three assemblies of the community commissions in Brussels.
| Year | Local elections | Regional elections | Federal elections | European elections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | — | — | — | 12 June 1994 |
| 9 October 1994 | — | |||
| 1995 | — | 21 May 1995 | 21 May 1995 [4] | — |
| 1999 | — | 13 June 1999 | 13 June 1999 [4] | 13 June 1999 |
| Districts in the city of Antwerp are established; their councils are now elected as well during local elections | ||||
| 2000 | 8 October 2000 | — | ||
| Federal constituencies changed from arrondissements to provinces; electoral threshold of 5% introduced | ||||
| 2003 | — | — | 18 May 2003 [4] | — |
| 2004 | — | 13 June 2004 | — | 13 June 2004 |
Fifth state reform:
| ||||
| 2006 | 8 October 2006 | — | ||
| 2007 | — | — | 10 June 2007 [4] | — |
| 2009 | — | 7 June 2009 | — | 7 June 2009 |
| 2010 | — | — | 13 June 2010 [4] (snap) | — |
| 2012 | 14 October 2012 | — | ||
| Sixth state reform: | ||||
| 2014 | — | 25 May 2014 | 25 May 2014 [4] | 25 May 2014 |
| 2018 | 14 October 2018 | — | ||
| 2019 | — | 26 May 2019 | 26 May 2019 | 26 May 2019 |
| 2024 | 13 October 2024 | 9 June 2024 | 9 June 2024 | 9 June 2024 |
Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, language, politics, and history, and sometimes involving neighbouring countries. The demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming, while the corresponding adjective is Flemish, which can also refer to the collective of Dutch dialects spoken in that area. The official capital of Flanders is the City of Brussels, although the Brussels-Capital Region that includes it has an independent regional government. The powers of the government of Flanders consist, among others, of economic affairs in the Flemish Region and the community aspects of Flanders life in Brussels, such as Flemish culture and education.
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.
The Kingdom of Belgium is divided into three regions. Two of these regions, Flanders and Wallonia, are each subdivided into five provinces. The third region, Brussels, does not belong to any province and nor is it subdivided into provinces. Instead, it has amalgamated both regional and provincial functions into a single "Capital Region" administration.
Belgium comprises 581 municipalities, 300 of them grouped into five provinces in Flanders and 262 others in five provinces in Wallonia, while the remaining 19 are in the Brussels Capital Region, which is not divided in provinces. In most cases, the municipalities are the smallest administrative subdivisions of Belgium, but in municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, on the initiative of the local council, sub-municipal administrative entities with elected councils may be created. As such, only Antwerp, having over 500,000 inhabitants, became subdivided into nine districts. The Belgian arrondissements, an administrative level between province and municipality, or the lowest judicial level, are in English sometimes called districts as well.
The Workers' Party of Belgium is a Marxist and socialist political party in Belgium. It is the only Belgian party represented in parliament that is a fully national party, representing both Flanders and Wallonia. Having historically been a small party, the PTB-PVDA has gained momentum since the 2010s, continuously scoring better at the elections, particularly in Wallonia and working-class communities in Brussels.
Dissolution of a legislative assembly is the simultaneous termination of service of all of its members, in anticipation that a successive legislative assembly will reconvene later with possibly different members. In a democracy, the new assembly is chosen by a general election. Dissolution is distinct on the one hand from abolition of the assembly, and on the other hand from its adjournment or prorogation, or the ending of a legislative session, any of which begins a period of inactivity after which it is anticipated that the same members will reassemble. For example, the "second session of the fifth parliament" could be followed by the "third session of the fifth parliament" after a prorogation, but would be followed by the "first session of the sixth parliament" after a dissolution.
The Federal Parliament is the bicameral parliament of Belgium. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. It sits in the Palace of the Nation. The Chamber of Representatives is the primary legislative body; the Senate functions only as a meeting place of the federal communities and regions.
Flanders is both a cultural community and an economic region within the Belgian state, and has significant autonomy.
The Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament. Created in 1831 as a chamber fully equal to the Chamber of Representatives, it has undergone several reforms in the past, most notably in 1993 and 2014. The 2014 elections were the first without a direct election of senators. Instead, the new Senate is composed of members of community and regional parliaments and co-opted members. It is a chamber of the communities and regions and serves as a platform for discussion and reflection about matters between these federated entities. The Senate today plays a minor role in the federal legislative process. However, the Senate, together with the Chamber, has full competence for the Constitution and legislation on the organization and functioning of the Federal State and the federated entities. Since the reform of 2014, it holds about ten plenary sessions a year.
Elections in Belgium are organised for legislative bodies only, and not for executive functions. Direct elections take place for the European Parliament, the Chamber of Representatives, the Parliaments of the Regions, the Parliaments of the Communities, the provincial councils, the municipal councils and the councils of Districts of Antwerp. Voting is mandatory and all elections use proportional representation which in general requires coalition governments.
The Chamber of Representatives is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered to be the "lower house" of the Federal Parliament.
The Belgian provincial, municipal and district elections of 2006 took place on Sunday 8 October 2006. The electors have elected the municipal councillors of 589 cities and towns as well as the ten provincial councils. The voters in the town of Antwerp have also been able to vote for the city's district councils. In seven Flemish municipalities with a special language statute and in the Walloon municipality of Comines-Warneton the aldermen and the members of the OCMW/CPAS council have also been directly elected.
The Constitution of Belgium dates back to 1831. Since then Belgium has been a parliamentary monarchy that applies the principles of ministerial responsibility for the government policy and the Trias Politica.
State reform, in the context of Belgium, is the ongoing process of seeking and finding constitutional and legal solutions to the problems and tensions in the different segments of the Belgian population, mostly between the Dutch-speakers of Flanders and the French-speakers of Wallonia. In general, Belgium has evolved from a unitary state to a federal state with communities, regions, and language areas.
Staggered elections are elections where only some of the places in an elected body are up for election at the same time. For example, United States senators have a six-year term, but they are not all elected at the same time. Rather, elections are held every two years for one-third of Senate seats.
Regional elections were held in Belgium on 7 June 2009 to choose representatives in the regional parliaments of Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community of Belgium. These elections were held on the same day as the European elections.
Partial general elections were held in Belgium on 24 May 1914. The result was a victory for the Catholic Party, which won 41 of the 88 seats up for election in the Chamber of Representatives.
Federal elections were held in Belgium on 25 May 2014. All 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives were elected, whereas the Senate was no longer directly elected following the 2011–2012 state reform. These were the first elections held under King Philippe's reign.
Federal elections were held in Belgium on 26 May 2019, alongside the country's European and regional elections. All 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives were elected from eleven multi-member constituencies.
Federal elections are scheduled to be held in Belgium on 9 June 2024. The 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives will be elected for a five-year term. European and regional elections are scheduled to take place on the same day.
