People's Union (Belgium)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
People's Union
Volksunie
Political positionBig tent
European affiliationEuropean Free Alliance

People's Union (

political party in Belgium, formed in 1954 as a successor to the Christian Flemish People's Union.[5]

The Volksunie defined itself as a

catch-all party that combined support from the left and right with the main goal of focusing on increased Flemish autonomy and establishing more linguistic and political rights for the Flemish community. The party also based its platform on civic nationalism over radicalism in order to foster a more legitimate image. It also contained members sympathetic to federalism and full separatism
, with its stance on whether to secede Flanders from Belgium or redefine Belgium as a federal nation in which Flanders had devolved power changing with its leadership. The VU participated in three coalitions with the Belgian government during its existence and has been credited by historians with successfully bringing the issue of Flemish nationalism to mainstream Belgian politics and implementing its federalist objectives. However, the party later suffered from ideological schisms which resulted in a decline in support before it was dissolved in 2001.

Early history

The party was officially founded in 1954 as the successor to the

Flemish movement, which included different organisations seeking to promote Flanders and call for more political freedom for the Flemish community. The Flemish movement varied from wanting to secure more linguistic, cultural and political rights for Flanders within the Belgian state to wanting the total secession of Flanders from Belgium or even reunification with the Netherlands under the Greater Netherlands concept. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Flemish nationalists operated within the established political partieshey chief and initially had close ties with the political left such as the Vermeylenfonds movement.[7]

During the

Christian Social Party (Christelijke Volkspartij, CVV), which was not avowedly nationalist but had a separatist wing.[10]

As a result, the Volksunie sought to build a strong alliance of Flemish nationalists under one movement but was careful to choose its leaders from nationalist circles that had not collaborated with the Nazis. Ideologically, the Volksunie preferred to position itself around the centre and saw itself as a coalition of various shades of Flemish thought as a big tent party with the objective of pursuing further autonomy and a sense of national identity for the Flemish region. To distance itself from prewar nationalism, the VU sought to promote its brand of nationalism as civic nationalism, as opposed to nationalism based on ethnic and racial sentiments, to gain credibility and wider support. As a result, the party was initially able to bring together various strands of scattered Flemish nationalists into a coherent movement.[11] The party was closely aligned to the Order of Flemish Militants (Vlaamse Militanten Orde, VMO) during the 1950s, with the VMO handling propaganda, recruitment and campaign work for the VU. However, the groups began to drift apart, as the VU moved to the centre while the VMO began to turn to the extreme right. The two movements formally broke ties in 1963.[10]

The party contained members from the left, right and centre of the political spectrum from socialists to right-wing conservatives, and it differed from other Belgian parties by putting Flemish nationalism at the forefront of its image and platform as opposed to basing its policies on a right or left-of-centre identity. At a European level, the Volksunie was a member of the European Free Alliance, which contained other separatist and regionalist parties.[12][13]

Initial success

The party initially proved successful and had members elected to the

Senate (two) of the Belgian Federal Parliament
in 1961. The party continued to grow in stature and reached the 11.0% at the national level in 1978 elections, gaining 21 representatives and went on to participate in the Belgian government as a coalition partner. This enabled the party to become the first electorally successful Flemish nationalist party and bring the agenda of Flemish autonomy on the mainstream political stage. In government, the VU was also able to ensure a Dutch language version of the Belgian constitution was adopted, gradually secured more regional powers for Flanders and worked to redefine Belgium as a federal rather than a unitary state.

Ideological splits and decline

The acceptance of

national conservative faction broke away and organized itself in the Vlaams Blok
, becoming a much stronger political force and surpassing Volksunie at the beginning of the 1990s (6.6% against VU's 5.9% in 1991 elections).

Although the party would continue to participate in two other coalition governments, the Volksunie continued its electoral decline (5.6% in

1999 elections against the 9.9% of the Vlaams Blok), with the internal divisions between the right-wing and left-wing members re-emerging in 2001. In the beginning of the 1990s, Bert Anciaux became party president and led the party in an ever more leftist and progressive direction, combining the social-liberal ideas of his iD21-movement with the regionalist course of the People's Union. These experiments were opposed by the more conservative leaning and separatist party base. Tension rose at the end of the 1990s when Geert Bourgeois of the centre-right nationalist wing, was elected chairman by party members, in preference to the incumbent and progressive Patrik Vankrunkelsven. Factions subsequently clashed multiple times, over the future course of the party and possible support for current state reform negotiations. On 13 October 2001 the party openly split into three factions: the progressive wing around Bert Anciaux, the conservative nationalist wing around Geert Bourgeois
, and a centrist group opposing the imminent split. An internal referendum was held on the future of the party.

The right wing won a large plurality at a party referendum, with 47 percent.

Socialist Party - Different. These cartels broke up in 2008 as the parties continued their decline, until the N-VA experienced a sudden resurgence in 2009, eventually becoming the largest party in Flanders and going on to participate as a coalition partner in the Belgian government, while Spirit ceased to exist, merging with Groen
.

Ideology and legacy

The Volksunie did not follow the traditional left-right pattern of politics and instead presented itself as a

CD&V
.

Party chairman


Electoral results

Federal Parliament

Chamber of Representatives

Election year # of overall votes % of overall vote % of language
group vote 		# of overall seats won # of language
group seats won 		+/- Government Notes
1954 113,632 2.2 (#6)
1 / 212
 in opposition
1958 104,823 2.0 (#5)
1 / 212
 Steady 0 in opposition
1961 182,407 3.1 (#4)
5 / 212
 Increase 4 in opposition
1965 346,860 6.7 (#4)
12 / 212
 Increase 7 in opposition
1968 506,697 9.8 (#4)
20 / 212
 Increase 8 in opposition
1971 586,917 11.1 (#3)
21 / 212
 Increase 1 in opposition
1974 536,287 10.0 (#4)
22 / 212
 Increase 1 in opposition
1977 559,567 10.0
20 / 212
 Decrease 2 in coalition
1978 388,762 7.0
14 / 212
 Decrease 6 in coalition
1981 588,436 9.8
20 / 212
 Increase 6 in opposition
1985 477,755 7.9
16 / 212
 Decrease 4 in opposition
1987 495,120 8.1
16 / 212
 Steady 0 in coalition
1991 363,124 5.9
10 / 212
 Decrease 6 in opposition
1995
 283,516 4.7
5 / 150
 Decrease 5 in opposition
1999
 345,576 5.6
8 / 150
 Increase 3 in opposition

Regional parliaments

Flemish Parliament

Election year # of
overall votes 		% of
overall vote 		% of language
group vote 		# of
overall seats won 		# of language
group seats won 		+/– Government Notes
1995 338,173 9.0
9 / 124
 in opposition
1999 359,226 9.3
11 / 124
 Increase 2 in coalition

European Parliament

Election year # of
overall votes 		% of
overall vote 		% of electoral
college vote 		# of
overall seats won 		# of electoral
college seats won 		+/– Notes
1979 324,540 9.7
1 / 24
1 / 13
1984 484,494 13.9
2 / 24
2 / 13
 		Increase 1
1989 318,153 8.7
1 / 24
1 / 13
 		Decrease 1
1994 262,043 7.1
1 / 25
1 / 14
 		Steady 0
1999 471,238 7.6 12.2
2 / 25
2 / 14
 		Increase 1

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-59140-790-4
    . Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-921849-3
    . Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-137-30665-4
    .
  4. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (n.d.). "Belgium". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 2001-11-03. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  5. ISBN 978-0-19-969157-9
    .
  6. ^ Mudde, 2003, p. 83.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-1-55587-610-4
    .
  8. ^ a b De Winter, 2004, pp. 4-5.
  9. ^ De Winter, 2004, p. 5.
  10. ^ a b Mudde, Ideology of the Extreme Right, p. 83
  11. ^ "Ons Erfdeel. Jaargang 23 · DBNL".
  12. ISBN 90-5183-195-1
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-107-03633-8
    .
  14. ISBN 978-0-19-964606-7
    .
  15. ^ "Belgium - Local government | Britannica".
  16. ^ Mudde, 2003, p. 85.
  17. ISBN 90-02-15260-4
    .

See also

  • List of political parties in Flanders
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