Belgium - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Belgium, it was the name derives from the Belgae, an ancient Celtic tribal confederation that inhabited an area between the English Channel and the west bank of the Rhine in the first centuries B.C.. The Government system in this country is the federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 3 regions (French: regions, singular - region; Dutch: gewesten, singular - gewest); Brussels-Capital Region, also known as Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (Dutch), Region de Bruxelles-Capitale (French long form), Bruxelles-Capitale (French short form); Flemish Region (Flanders), also known as Vlaams Gewest (Dutch long form), Vlaanderen (Dutch short form), Region Flamande (French long form), Flandre (French short form); Walloon Region (Wallonia), also known as Region Wallone (French long form), Wallonie (French short form), Waals Gewest (Dutch long form), Wallonie (Dutch short form)
National symbols
Golden rampant lion; national colors: red, black, yellow.
The flag
The National flag of Belgium has three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France; the colors are those of the arms of the duchy of Brabant (yellow lion with red claws and tongue on a black field).
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The National Anthem
| Title | "La Brabanconne" (The Song of Brabant) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Louis-Alexandre DECHET [French] and Victor CEULEMANS [Dutch]/Francois VAN CAMPENHOUT |
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note: adopted 1830; according to legend, Louis-Alexandre DECHET, an actor at the theater in which the revolution against the Netherlands began, wrote the lyrics with a group of young people in a Brussels cafe
More about the government of Belgium
| Date of Independence | 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Belgian National Day (ascension to the throne of King LEOPOLD I), 21 July (1831) |
| Legal system | civil law system based on the French Civil Code; note - Belgian law continues to be modified in conformance with the legislative norms mandated by the European Union; judicial review of legislative acts |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Drafted 25 November 1830, approved 7 February 1831, entered into force 26 July 1831, revised 14 July 1993 (creating a federal state) |
| Amendments | "revisions" proposed as declarations by the federal government in accord with the king or by Parliament followed by dissolution of Parliament and new elections; adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in both houses of the next elected Parliament; amended many times, last in 2019 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Belgium |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Alexander DE CROO (since 1 October 2020) |
| Cabinet | Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch |
| Elections/appointments | the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and approved by Parliament |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate or Senaat (in Dutch), Senat (in French) (60 seats; 50 members indirectly elected by the community and regional parliaments based on their election results, and 10 elected by the 50 other senators; members serve 5-year terms) Chamber of Representatives or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers (in Dutch), Chambre des Representants (in French) (150 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Senate - last held 18 July 2024 (next to be held on 31 July 2029) Chamber of Representatives - last held on 9 June 2024 (next to be held on 30 June 2029); note - elections coincided with the EU parliamentary elections |
| Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party - N/A; seats by party - N-VA 10, MR 10, VB 8, PS 6, PVDA-PTB 6, CD&V 5, Les Engages 5, Open VLD 3, Ecolo 3, Vooruit 4; composition - men 32, women 28, percent percentage women 46.7% Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - N-VA 16.7%, VB 13.5%, MR 10.3%, PVDA-PTB 9.9%, Vooruit 8.1%, PS 8%, CD&V 8%, Les Engages 6.8%, Open VLD 5.5%, Green 4.7%, Ecolo 3%, Defi 1%; seats by party - N-VA 24, VB 20, MR 20, PS 16, PVDA+PTB 15, Les Engages 14, Vooruit 13, CD&V 11, Open VLD 7,Green 6, Ecolo 3, Defi 1; composition - men 86, women 64, percentage women 42.7%; total Parliament percentage women 42.9% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Constitutional Court or Grondwettelijk Hof (in Dutch) and Cour Constitutionelle (in French) (consists of 12 judges - 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking); Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) and Cour de Cassation (in French) (court organized into 3 chambers: civil and commercial; criminal; social, fiscal, and armed forces; each chamber includes a Dutch division and a French division, each with a chairperson and 5-6 judges) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Constitutional Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by Parliament; judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70; Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates submitted by the High Council of Justice, a 44-member independent body of judicial and non-judicial members; judges appointed for life |
| Subordinate courts | Courts of Appeal; regional courts; specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, immigration, and audit issues; magistrate's courts; justices of the peace |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Sophie Chaska KARLSHAUSEN (since 31 August 2024) |
| Chancery | 1430 K Street NW, Washington DC 20005 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 333-6900 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 338-4960 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en |
| Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Michael ADLER (since 15 March 2022) |
| Embassy | 27 Boulevard du Regent [Regentlaan], B-1000 Brussels |
| Mailing address | 7600 Brussels Place, Washington DC 20521-7600 |
| Telephone | [32] (2) 811-4000 |
| FAX | [32] (2) 811-4500 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://be.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 16 (15 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Belfries of Belgium (c); Historic Brugge (c); The Grand Place, Brussels (c); Major Town Houses of Victor Horta (c); Notre-Dame Cathedral, Tournai (c); Spa, Liege (c); Primeval Beech Forests - Sonian Wood (n); Stoclet Palace (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Belgium
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Belgium
Want to know more about Belgium? Check all different factbooks for Belgium below.
