The Socialist Party[3][4][5] (French: Parti socialiste, pronounced [paʁti sɔsjalist], PS) is a social democratic [6][7][8][9][10] French-speaking political party in Belgium. As of the 2024 elections, it is the fourth largest party in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the second largest Francophone party. The party is led by Paul Magnette. The party supplies the Minister-president of the French Community (Rudy Demotte), and the Brussels-Capital Region (Rudi Vervoort). In the German-speaking community, the party is known as the Sozialistische Partei (SP).
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| Abbreviation | PS |
| President | Paul Magnette |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Preceded by | Belgian Socialist Party |
| Headquarters | National Secretariat Bd de l'Empereur/Keizerslaan 13, Brussels |
| Think tank | Institut Emile Vandervelde[1] |
| Youth wing | Movement of Young Socialists |
| Membership (2021) | 32,000[2] |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Regional affiliation | Socialists, Greens and Democrats |
| European affiliation | Party of European Socialists |
| European Parliament group | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats |
| International affiliation | Progressive Alliance Socialist International |
| Flemish counterpart | Vooruit |
| Colours | Red |
| Chamber of Representatives (French-speaking seats) | 16 / 61 |
| Senate (French-speaking seats) | 7 / 24 |
| Walloon Parliament | 19 / 75 |
| Parliament of the French Community | 28 / 94 |
| Brussels Parliament (French-speaking seats) | 16 / 72 |
| European Parliament (French-speaking seats) | 2 / 8 |
| Benelux Parliament | 3 / 21 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The PS is very commonly part of governing coalitions, and dominates most local authorities because of the extremely fragmented nature of Belgian political institutions, particularly in Francophone areas. In the years since 1999, the PS has simultaneously controlled five regional executive bodies: the Government of the French Community, the Walloon Government, the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the COCOF, a local subsidiary in Brussels of the French Community Government, and the Government of the German-speaking Community.
The party, or its members, have from time to time been brought into connection with criminal activities and political scandals, mostly concerning bribery and financial fraud (Cools assassination, Agusta scandal, Dassault Affair, Carolorégienne affair, ICDI affair). The Carolorégienne affair caused Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe to step down as Minister-President of the Walloon region.
Electoral results
editThe PS performed well in the 2003 general election but were overtaken as the largest Francophone party by the Reformist Movement in the 2007 general election.
In the 10 June 2007 general elections, the party won 20 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 4 out of 40 seats in the Senate. The PS was a member of the Leterme I Government, Van Rompuy I Government, Leterme II Government and currently the Di Rupo I Government of 6 December 2011, with former PS leader Elio Di Rupo serving as Prime Minister of Belgium.
Timeline
editResults for the Chamber of Representatives, in percentages for the Kingdom of Belgium.
Ideology
editThe PS is a centre-left party.[11] Its ideology and image are a mix of social democracy and modern electoral marketing. In its political program, the party identifies as progressive and eco-socialist.[12]
Notable figures
edit
Chairmen
edit- André Cools, 1978–1981 (previously leader of the Walloon branch of the BSP/PSB)
- Guy Spitaels, 1981–1992
- Philippe Busquin, 1992–1999
- Elio Di Rupo, 1999–2011
- Thierry Giet, 2011–2013 (ad interim)
- Paul Magnette, 2013–2014 (ad interim)
- Elio Di Rupo, 2014–2019
- Paul Magnette, 2019–
Other
editElection results
editChamber of Representatives
edit| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 689,876 | 12.5 | 31 / 212
|
Coalition | |
| 1981 | 733,137 | 12.2 | 35 / 212
|
 4
|
Opposition |
| 1985 | 834,488 | 13.8 | 35 / 212
|
 0
|
Opposition |
| 1987 | 961,361 | 15.6 | 40 / 212
|
5
|
Coalition |
| 1991 | 831,199 | 13.5 | 35 / 212
|
 5
|
Coalition |
| 1995 | 720,819 | 11.9 | 21 / 150
|
14
|
Coalition |
| 1999 | 631,653 | 10.2 | 19 / 150
|
2
|
Coalition |
| 2003 | 855,992 | 13.0 | 25 / 150
|
6
|
Coalition |
| 2007 | 724,787 | 10.9 | 20 / 150
|
5
|
Coalition |
| 2010 | 894,543 | 13.7 | 26 / 150
|
6
|
Coalition |
| 2014 | 787,165 | 11.7 | 23 / 150
|
3
|
Opposition |
| 2019 | 641,623 | 9.5 | 20 / 150
|
3
|
External support (2020) |
| Coalition (2020–) | |||||
| 2024 | 561,602 | 8.0 | 16 / 150
|
4
|
TBD |
Senate
edit| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 685,307 | 12.5 | 17 / 106
|
|
| 1981 | 755,512 | 12.7 | 18 / 106
|
1
|
| 1985 | 832,792 | 13.9 | 18 / 106
|
0
|
| 1987 | 958,686 | 15.7 | 20 / 106
|
2
|
| 1991 | 814,136 | 13.3 | 18 / 106
|
2
|
| 1995 | 764,610 | 12.8 | 5 / 40
|
13
|
| 1999 | 597,890 | 9.7 | 4 / 40
|
1
|
| 2003 | 840,908 | 12.8 | 6 / 40
|
2
|
| 2007 | 678,812 | 10.2 | 4 / 40
|
2
|
| 2010 | 880,828 | 13.6 | 7 / 40
|
3
|
Regional
editBrussels Parliament
edit| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.E.C. | Overall | |||||
| 1989 | 96,189 | 22.0 (#1) | 18 / 75
|
Coalition | ||
| 1995 | 88,370 | 21.4 (#2) | 17 / 75
|
1
|
Coalition | |
| 1999 | 68,307 | 18.6 (#3) | 16.0 (#3) | 13 / 75
|
4
|
Coalition |
| 2004 | 130,462 | 33.4 (#1) | 28.7 (#1) | 26 / 89
|
13
|
Coalition |
| 2009 | 107,303 | 26.2 (#2) | 23.3 (#2) | 21 / 89
|
5
|
Coalition |
| 2014 | 108,755 | 26.6 (#1) | 23.5 (#1) | 21 / 89
|
|
Coalition |
| 2019 | 85,530 | 22.0 (#1) | 18.7 (#1) | 17 / 89
|
4
|
Coalition |
| 2024 | 85,929 | 22.1 (#2) | 16 / 89
|
1
|
TBD | |
Walloon Parliament
edit| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 665,986 | 35.2 (#1) | 30 / 75
|
Coalition | |
| 1999 | 560,867 | 29.4 (#1) | 25 / 75
|
5
|
Coalition |
| 2004 | 727,781 | 36.9 (#1) | 34 / 75
|
9
|
Coalition |
| 2009 | 657,803 | 32.8 (#1) | 29 / 75
|
5
|
Coalition |
| 2014 | 626,473 | 30.9 (#1) | 30 / 75
|
1
|
Coalition (2014–2017) |
| Opposition (2017–2019) | |||||
| 2019 | 532,422 | 26.2 (#1) | 23 / 75
|
7
|
Coalition |
| 2024 | 480,003 | 23.2 (#2) | 19 / 75
|
4
|
Opposition |
German-speaking Community Parliament
edit| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6,407 | 16.3 | 4 / 25
|
0
|
Opposition |
| 1995 | 5,958 | 16.1 | 4 / 25
|
0
|
Coalition |
| 1999 | 5,519 | 15.0 | 4 / 25
|
0
|
Coalition |
| 2004 | 6,903 | 19.0 | 5 / 25
|
1
|
Coalition |
| 2009 | 7,231 | 19.3 | 5 / 25
|
0
|
Coalition |
| 2014 | 6,047 | 16.1 | 4 / 25
|
1
|
Coalition |
| 2019 | 5,820 | 14.8 | 4 / 25
|
0
|
Coalition |
| 2024 | 5,473 | 13.7 | 3 / 25
|
1
|
Opposition |
European Parliament
edit.png)
| Election | List leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | EP Group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.E.C. | G.E.C. | F.E.C. | G.E.C. | Overall | |||||
| 1979 | Anne-Marie Lizin (F.E.C.) | 575,824 | — | 27.43 (#1) | — | 10.58 | 4 / 24
|
New | SOC |
| 1984 | Ernest Glinne (F.E.C.) | 762,293 | — | 34.04 (#1) | — | 13.32 | 5 / 24
|
1
| |
| 1989 | Ernest Glinne (F.E.C.) | 854,207 | — | 38.13 (#1) | — | 14.48 | 5 / 24
|
0
| |
| 1994 | José Happart (F.E.C.) Unclear (G.E.C.) |
680,142 | 4,820 | 30.44 (#1) | 12.57 (#5) | 11.48 | 3 / 25
|
2
|
PES |
| 1999 | Philippe Busquin (F.E.C.) Charles Servaty (G.E.C.) |
596,567 | 4,215 | 25.78 (#2) | 11.42 (#4) | 9.59 | 3 / 25
|
0
| |
| 2004 | Elio Di Rupo (F.E.C.) Werner Baumgarten (G.E.C.) |
878,577 | 5,527 | 36.09 (#1) | 14.94 (#3) | 13.54 | 4 / 24
|
1
| |
| 2009 | Jean-Claude Marcourt (F.E.C.) Resi Stoffels (G.E.C.) |
714,947 | 5,658 | 29.10 (#1) | 14.63 (#4) | 10.88 | 3 / 22
|
1
|
S&D |
| 2014 | Marie Arena (F.E.C.) Antonios Antoniadis (G.E.C.) |
714,645 | 5,835 | 29.29 (#1) | 15.12 (#4) | 10.68 | 3 / 21
|
0
| |
| 2019 | Paul Magnette (F.E.C.) Matthias Zimmermann (G.E.C.) |
651,157 | 4,655 | 26.69 (#1) | 11.42 (#4) | 9.74 | 2 / 21
|
1
| |
| 2024 | Elio Di Rupo (F.E.C.) Charles Servaty (G.E.C.) |
529,697 | 5,131 | 20.52 (#1) | 11.82 (#5) | 7.50 | 2 / 22
|
0
| |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "L'IEV - PS - Parti Socialiste". PS.be. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "À moins d'un an des élections, comment les partis politiques recrutent-ils leurs membres ? Et combien sont-ils ?". 20 September 2023.
- ^ Chee, Foo Yun (23 September 2020). "Belgian king names two to form government - 16 months after election". Reuters. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ Anderson, Emma (20 July 2020). "Belgian Socialist leader warns of new election if coalition not formed in 50 days". Politico. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ Walsh, David (2 October 2020). "Belgium: New seven-party coalition government officially sworn in". Euronews. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Wallonia/Belgium". Parties and Elections in Europe.
- ^ Slomp, Hans (30 September 2011). Europe, A Political Profile: An American Companion to European Politics. ABC-CLIO. pp. 465–. ISBN 978-0-313-39182-8. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ^ Dimitri Almeida (27 April 2012). The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties: Beyond the Permissive Consensus. CRC Press. pp. 71–. ISBN 978-1-136-34039-0. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ Richard Collin; Pamela L. Martin (2012). An Introduction to World Politics: Conflict and Consensus on a Small Planet. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 218–. ISBN 978-1-4422-1803-1. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko; Matti Mälkiä (2007). Encyclopedia of Digital Government. Idea Group Inc (IGI). pp. 397–. ISBN 978-1-59140-790-4. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Josep M. Colomer (24 July 2008). Comparative European Politics. Taylor & Francis. pp. 220–. ISBN 9780203946091. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "170 engagements pour un futur idéal" [170 commitments for an ideal future] (PDF) (in French). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2022.
External links
edit