Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)
Chamber of Representatives | |
---|---|
LE | |
Structure | |
Seats | 150 |
Political groups | Government (87)
Opposition (63)
|
Length of term | 5 years |
Elections | |
Open list proportional representation within eleven constituencies, with 5% constituency electoral thresholds | |
Last election | 26 May 2019 |
Next election | 2024 |
Meeting place | |
Palace of the Nation, Brussels | |
Website | |
www lachambre | |
Rules | |
Rules of Procedure of the Belgian House of Representatives (English) |
Belgium portal |
The Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: ⓘ, French: Chambre des représentants, German: Abgeordnetenkammer) 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.
Members and elections
Article 62 of the
The seats are divided among the political parties using the D'Hondt method of proportional representation, which slightly favours large parties and coalitions. There is an electoral threshold of 5%.[2]
The Representatives are divided into two so-called "language groups". Of the total of 150 representatives, 88 are part of the Dutch-language group, which consists of representatives from the Dutch-language area, and 62 are part of the French-language group, which consists of representatives from the French-language area and the German-language area. For the representatives from the Brussels region, the language in which they take their oath as a representative determines which language group they belong to. Following the
Nevertheless, because of the
The following table shows the current (2022) distribution of seats between the language groups and the electoral districts.
Dutch language group | French language group | ||
---|---|---|---|
Electoral district | Seats | Electoral district | Seats |
Brussels Capital Region (bilingual)
|
1/15 | Brussels Capital Region (bilingual)
|
14/15 |
Antwerp
|
24 | Hainaut
|
18 |
East Flanders | 20 | Liège
|
15 |
Flemish Brabant | 15 | Luxembourg | 4 |
Limburg | 12 | Namur
|
6 |
West Flanders | 16 | Walloon Brabant | 5 |
Total | 88 | Total | 62 |
Qualifications
Article 64 of the Belgian constitution sets forth four qualifications for representatives: each representative must be at least 21 years old, possess the Belgian nationality, have the full enjoyment of civil and political rights, and be resident in Belgium. A representative can only enter into office after having taken the oath of office, in either of the three official languages in Belgium: Dutch, French or German. Representatives can also choose to take the oath in more than one language. The oath of office is as follows: "I swear to observe the Constitution". (Dutch: Ik zweer de Grondwet na te leven, French: Je jure d'observer la Constitution, German: Ich schwöre, die Verfassung zu befolgen)
Certain offices are incompatible with the office of representative.
Another important incompatibility is based on the separation of powers. Representatives appointed as a minister cease to sit in the Chamber of Representatives. During their service, the representative is replaced. Individuals resigning as a minister can return to the Chamber in accordance with Article 50 of the Belgian Constitution. A representative cannot be a civil servant or a member of the judiciary at the same time, however, a civil servant who is elected to the Chamber is entitled to political leave and doesn't have to resign as a civil servant. It is also not possible to be a member of the Federal Parliament and a Member of the European Parliament at the same time.
The Chamber of Representatives does not systematically check whether any of these (or other) incompatibilities apply to its members, however, newly elected members are informed of the most important incompatibilities at the start of their mandate and it is up to them to verify whether they are in compliance with the regulations regarding incompatibilities and, if not, to determine which office they will abandon.
Officers
The Chamber of Representatives elects a presiding officer, known as the
The president presides over the plenary assembly of the Chamber of Representatives, guides and controls debates in the assembly, and is responsible for ensuring the democratic functioning of the Chamber, for the maintenance of order and security in the assembly and for enforcing the Rules of the Chamber of Representatives. The president represents the Chamber at both the national (to the other institutions) and the international level. The president also assesses the admissibility of bills and proposals.
The president of the Chamber, together with the
The Bureau of the Chamber of Representatives is composed of the President, the Vice-Presidents, the Secretaries and the floor leaders of the
There is also a Conference of Presidents, which is one of the most important bodies of the Chamber of Representatives. It consists of the president and vice-presidents of the Chamber, former presidents of the Chamber who are still members of the Chamber and the
The Chamber of the Representatives has, just like the Senate a College of Quaestors, which consists of five representatives who are elected by the plenary assembly for a duration of two years. The Quaestors are in charge of the housekeeping of the Chamber, they are also responsible for matters such as human resources and computers. The Colleges of Quaestors of the Senate and the Chamber meet regularly to settle common problems concerning the library, buildings, security, catering, etc.
Procedure
Like the Senate, the Chamber of Representatives meets in the
The Belgian Constitution provides that the Federal Parliament meets by right on the second Tuesday of October every year for a parliamentary session of at least 40 days. This means that the parliamentary session is opened automatically without being convened by the King. The Constitution also provides that the Senate cannot meet when the Chamber of Representatives is not in session. Although the Constitution provides that the Federal Parliament must remain in session for at least 40 days, in practice it remains in session throughout the year. In principle, an ordinary session lasts from the second Tuesday of October until the day before the second Tuesday of October the following year, however, the Federal Parliament goes into recess three times a year, for the Christmas holidays, the Easter holidays and for the summer holidays from 20 July until the end of September. If the Federal Parliament is dissolved and new elections are held before the end of the parliamentary term, then the newly elected Chamber meets in extraordinary session until the start of the next ordinary session.[7]
The committees of the Chamber of Representatives usually meet on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, the Conference of President meets to set the agenda for the plenary session. On Thursday morning the
Article 53 of the constitution provides that at least a majority of its members must be present in order for the Chamber to make decisions. It is noteworthy that this does not apply to all business of the Chamber, such as debates or questions to members of the federal government, but that a
The Chamber may vote in three manners. Firstly, it may vote by
Committees
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
The Chamber of Representatives uses committees for a variety of purposes. The Chamber has several standing committees, each of which has responsibility for a particular area of government (for example justice or social affairs). These standing committees examine and consider bills and legislative proposals, and may for this purpose hold hearings. A standing committee comprises 17 Representatives, members are appointed using proportional representation. The chairpersons of the committees are also divided among the parties in accordance with the same principle of proportional representation. As a result, some committees are chaired by members of the opposition.
Standing committees
This is a list of standing committees:
- Defence
- Social Affairs
- Justice
- Foreign Relations
- Revision of the Constitution and Reform of the Institutions
- Problems regarding Commercial and Economic Law
- Interior, General Affairs and the Civil Service
- Economy, Science Policy, Education, National Scientific and Cultural Institutions, Middle Classes and Agriculture
- Finances and Budget
- Infrastructure, Communications and Public Enterprises
- Public Health, Environment and Social Renewal
Special committees
There are also special committees, such as the Committee on Naturalisations.
Legislative functions
Since the elections of 21 May 1995, there has been a breakdown of powers
In certain matters both the Chamber and the Senate still have equal power, which means that both Chambers must pass exactly the same version of the bill. These include constitutional revisions, laws requiring a qualified majority (the so-called "community laws"), laws on the basic structure of the Belgian State, laws approving agreements of cooperation between the
For almost all other legislation, the Chamber of Representatives takes precedence over the Senate. However, the Senate may still intervene as a chamber of consideration and reflection as it has the opportunity to, within specific time limits, examine the texts adopted by the Chamber and, if there is a reason to do so, make amendments. The Chamber can subsequently adopt or reject the amendments proposed by the Senate or make new proposals. Whatever the case, the Chamber has the final word on all "ordinary legislation". The Senate may also submit a bill it has adopted to the Chamber which can approve, reject or amend it, in this case the Chamber also has the final word.
There are also certain matters for which the Chamber of Representatives is exclusively responsible. These matters include the granting of
Relationship with the Government
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
The members of the
Due to the fragmented nature of Belgian politics, no party family has a realistic chance of winning the 76 seats needed for an outright majority in the Chamber of Representatives. Furthermore, no party family can realistically win enough seats to govern alone. As a result, nearly all Belgian governments since the end of World War I have been coalitions between two or more parties or party families.
Latest election
Current composition
Current party standings, as of September 2019:
Affiliation | Leader | Ideology | Position | Language group |
Members | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N-VA | New Flemish Alliance Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie | Bart De Wever | Flemish nationalism | Centre-right to right-wing | Dutch | 25 / 150
| |
PS | Socialist Party Parti Socialiste
|
Paul Magnette | Social democracy | left-wing |
French | 20 / 150
| |
VB | Flemish Interest Vlaams Belang | Tom Van Grieken | Right-wing populism | far-right |
Dutch | 18 / 150
| |
MR | Reformist Movement Mouvement Réformateur
|
Georges-Louis Bouchez | Liberalism | Centre-right | French | 14 / 150
| |
Ecolo | Ecolo Ecolo | Rajae Maouane & Jean-Marc Nollet | Green politics | left-wing |
French | 13 / 150
| |
CD&V | Christian Democratic & Flemish Christen-Democratisch & Vlaams
|
Sammy Mahdi | Christian democracy | Centre to centre-right | Dutch | 12 / 150
| |
PVDA-PTB | Workers' Party of Belgium Partij van de Arbeid van België – Parti du Travail de Belgique | Raoul Hedebouw | Marxism | Left-wing to far-left |
Bilingual | 12 / 150
| |
Open VLD | Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten
|
Egbert Lachaert | Liberalism | Centre-right |
Dutch | 12 / 150
| |
Vooruit | Forward Vooruit
|
Melissa Depraetere | Social democracy | Centre-left |
Dutch | 9 / 150
| |
Groen | Green Groen
|
Meyrem Almaci | Green politics | left-wing |
Dutch | 8 / 150
| |
LE | The Committed Ones Les Engagés | Maxime Prévot | Social liberalism | Centre | French | 5 / 150
| |
DéFI | Democratic, Federalist, Independent DéFI | François De Smet | Regionalism | Centre to centre-right | French | 2 / 150
|
Former compositions
Before 1993: 212 MPs
1978–1981
26 | 31 | 1 | 57 | 25 | 15 | 22 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
BSP | PSB | PSB (LUX) | CVP | PSC | PRLW | PVV | VU | FDF + RW | RW | UDRT-RAD | KPB-PCB | VB |
1981–1985
2 | 2 | 26 | 35 | 43 | 18 | 24 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Agalev | Ecolo | SP | PS | CVP | PSC | PRL | PVV | VU | FDF + RW | UDRT-RAD | KPB-PCB | VB |
1985–1987
4 | 5 | 32 | 35 | 49 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Agalev | Ecolo | SP | PS | CVP | PSC | PRL | PVV | VU | FDF | UDRT-RAD | VB |
1987–1991
6 | 3 | 32 | 40 | 43 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
Agalev | Ecolo | SP | PS | CVP | PSC | PRL | PVV | VU | FDF | VB |
1991–1995
7 | 10 | 28 | 35 | 39 | 18 | 20 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 1 |
Agalev | Ecolo | SP | PS | CVP | PSC | PRL | PVV | VU | FDF + PPW | ROSSEM | VB | FN |
After 1993: 150 MPs
1995–1999
5 | 6 | 20 | 21 | 29 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
Agalev | Ecolo | SP | PS | CVP | PSC | PRL + FDF | VLD | VU | VB | FN |
1999–2003
9 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 1 |
Agalev | Ecolo | SP | PS | CVP | CDH | PRL + FDF | VLD | VU&ID | VB | FN |
2003–2007
4 | 23 | 25 | 21 | 8 | 24 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
Ecolo | SP.A + Spirit | PS | CD&V | CDH | MR | Open VLD | N-VA | FN | VB |
2007–2010
8 | 4 | 14 | 20 | 30 | 10 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 17 |
Ecolo | Groen! | SP.A | PS | CD&V + N-VA | CDH | MR | Open VLD | LDD | FN | VB |
2010–2014
8 | 5 | 13 | 26 | 17 | 9 | 18 | 13 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
Ecolo | Groen! | SP.A | PS | CD&V | CDH | MR | Open VLD | N-VA | LDD | PP | VB |
2014–2019
2 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 18 | 9 | 20 | 14 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
PTB-GO! | Ecolo | Groen | SP.A | PS | CD&V | CDH | MR | Open VLD | N-VA | PP | FDF | VB |
2019–2024
12 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 12 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 25 | 2 | 18 |
PTB-PVDA | Ecolo | Groen | SP.A | PS | CD&V | CDH | MR | Open VLD | N-VA | DéFI | VB |
See also
- List of presidents of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium
- Belgian Federal Parliament
- Belgian Senate
- Politics of Belgium
References
- ^ ""Les engagés" : Nouveau nom et nouveau projet pour le CDH au terme d'une réflexion citoyenne".
- ^ "Répartition des sièges: La Chambre des Représentants". Belgian government web site. Interior department. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ^ "Les 23 députés MR ont prêté serment à la Chambre – Prestation de Serment aussi au Sénat pour les 6 sénateurs MR" (in French). Mouvement Réformateur. 29 June 2007. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ "Fact Sheet on the composition of the Chamber" (PDF). The Belgian Chamber of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2006.
- ^ "Incompatibilities and disqualifications". The Belgian Senate. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
- ^ "Visitor's Guide to the Belgian Federal Parliament" (PDF). The Belgian Chamber of Representatives and Senate. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
- ^ a b "Factsheet on the workings of the Chamber of Representatives" (PDF). The Belgian Chamber of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
- ^ a b "Factsheet on the workings of the Chamber of Representatives: Votes" (PDF). The Belgian Chamber of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
- ^ "Factsheet on the Senate" (PDF). The Belgian Chamber of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
- ^ "Factsheet on the Chamber of Representatives" (PDF). The Belgian Chamber of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2007.