Belgium 101: A Study in Black, Yellow, and Red

It is no secret that Belgium has issues. Divided along linguistic, economic, and religious lines, the nation of Belgium is under considerable strain. Many individuals may think that Belgium is a charming small European country in which the citizens are bilingual in Flemish (a dialect of Dutch) and French, but outside of Brussels the reality is different from how it is commonly perceived. Rather than a populace of bilingual citizens, Belgium is home to two separate, unilingual regions. Flanders, the more prosperous northern region, is home to the Flemish, and Wallonia, the francophone region to the south, is equally linguistically homogenous, albeit in French. A marginal German-speaking community also exists within the southeast.

The economic division of Belgium began shortly after the industrial revolution. In response to increased income disparity, the Belgian Workers' Party was formed in 1885. This party would serve as the precursor to the Parti Socialite, the Socialist Party of Belgium. Taxation in Belgium is substantially more progressive than in the United States, with the highest bracket paying a duty of 69%. Additionally, on all goods and services there is a Value Added Tax (VAT), to the beautiful tune of 21%. 

The final division, that of religion, began roughly around the same time as that of language. French became the official language of Belgium in 1830, but as the majority of Belgians spoke Flemish the government recognized it as the second official language in 1880. Belgium had been more Catholic for the past several decades, so in 1846 the Liberals, those who advocated religious freedom, formed their own political party. Not to be overpowered, the Catholic community formed a political party of their own in 1862. This party would later comprise the Christian Democrats.

Belgium's government is a federal parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. The term "federal" indicates that there are multiple levels of constitutional authority, unlike in a unitary system, in which there is only one source. In Belgium, the people elect the Parliament, which in turn elects the Government. Candidates representing political parties are put on a list, and voters vote for a party rather than an individual candidate. The order of the candidates is determined by the party, and the number of seats that the party wins is directly proportional to the number of seats they have in the two houses of Parliament; the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Belgians can also exercise a "preference vote," in which the voter votes for a party and then for a specific individual within that party. If that candidate receives enough preference votes, he or she will move up on the list, and may make it high enough to become a Member of Parliament. Though preference voting is neither required nor common, voting in Belgium is compulsory. 

Once Parliament is elected, the Members of Parliament must then elect a Government. This is done by simple majority, which, in this context, requires 76 seats, as there are 150 in total. While 76 seats are required to form a Government, 100 are required for a Constitutional Reform. The current party with the most votes, the New Vlaamse Alliance (N-VA), campaigned on the promise that they would reform the constitution to ensure greater autonomy for the Flanders region. N-VA won 27 seats, and will need to reach agreements with other like minded parties to form their Government. Unfortunately, the party with the second highest number of votes was the Socialist Party, with 26. As the N-VA is economically liberal (in the European connotation), the Socialists represent their direct opposition. 

The lucky individual whose job it is to assist in the formation of the new Government is none other than His Majesty the King. It is he who acts as the formateur, the liaison between the newly elected parties. His additional roles include that of being the Head of State (the Prime Minister gets to be Head of Government), Commander in Chief of the 40,000 soldiers in the Belgian armed forces, and an informal advisor to the Government. 

As the King fulfills his royal duties, an interim government presides in the day to day functions. The interim government cannot enact any new initiatives. Additionally, there are regional and community governments that oversee the logistical, mundane details (as opposed to overarching policy). The regional government refers to physical location, whereas the community government refers to human constituencies.