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2024 legislative elections: the example of Belgium, accustomed to compromises
The political sequence of the legislative elections in France makes the Belgians smile. Indeed, they have long been accustomed to the exercise of post-election negotiations, which are a mandatory step for them and have plunged the country into an impasse on several occasions.
(France 2)
The political sequence of the legislative elections in France makes the Belgians smile. Indeed, they have long been accustomed to the exercise of post-election negotiations, which are a mandatory step for them and have plunged the country into an impasse on several occasions.
In Belgium, it took more than a year to form the current government. In this country, Parliament is elected by proportional representation and no one has an absolute majority. Alliances are therefore essential and have improbable names. The Vivaldi coalition, the Butterfly, the Armenian, or even the Rainbow… So many examples of the art of Belgian compromise.
“The day after the elections, in Belgium, we are starting to negotiate together”assures Bernard Demonty, head of the newspaper’s political service The evening. Even if it means “forgetting that the day before, the day before that, we practically insulted each other”, adds the journalist. But sometimes, the camps are irreconcilable. In 2010, it took all of Belgian humour to push the parties to agree. From protesters who took their clothes off to a challenge launched by actor Benoît Poelvoorde, the Belgians never stopped calling out their political class, until elected officials found a solution after 541 days.
