Parliament of Wallonia explained

Parliament of Wallonia
Logo Res:250px
House Type:Unicameral
Leader1 Type:President
Leader1:Willy Borsus
Party1:MR
Election1:25 June 2024
Members:75
Structure1:Parlement Wallon 2024.svg
Structure1 Res:250px
Political Groups1:Government (43)

Opposition (32)

Term Length:5 years
Last Election1:9 June 2024
Next Election1:2029
Session Room:Walloon Parliament main entrance.jpg
Session Res:250px
Meeting Place:Saint-Gilles Hospice, Namur
Website:https://www.parlement-wallonie.be/

The Parliament of Wallonia (French: Parlement de Wallonie) (Walloon Parliament (French: Parlement wallon) in the decrees) is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium (the other two being Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region). The parliament building, the former Hospice Saint-Gilles, is situated in Namur, the capital of Wallonia, at the symbolic confluence of the Meuse and the Sambre, the two main rivers of the most inhabited parts of Wallonia, the Sillon industriel. On the other side of the Meuse, facing the Parliament, is the Élysette, the seat of the Government of Wallonia.

History and names

A 1974 law on the temporary creation of regions installed a Walloon Regional Council (alongside a Flemish Regional Council), which were both abolished in 1977. At the creation of the first (permanent) regional assemblies in 1980 (second state reform), the body was also called "Walloon Regional Council" (Conseil régional wallon). Its members were the national representatives and senators elected in the Walloon Region, who thus by law held two offices simultaneously.

The fourth state reform (1993), transformed Belgium into a federal state and changed the "Walloon Regional Council" (Conseil régional wallon) into the "Council of the Walloon Region" (Conseil de la Région wallonne), which was directly elected for the first time on 21 May 1995. Shortly before these elections, in April 1995, the Council adopted a resolution to use the terms "Walloon Parliament" (Parlement wallon) and "Walloon deputies" (députés wallons).

A 2005 constitutional amendment revised the official terminology for all community and regional councils into community and regional parliaments, changing the "Council of the Walloon Region" into the "Walloon Parliament" (Parlement wallon).

In 2015, the Parliament opted to use the term "Parliament of Wallonia" (Parlement de Wallonie) instead of "Walloon Parliament".

Composition

All members of the Parliament of Wallonia are also members of the Parliament of the French Community, except for German-speaking members, who represent the German-speaking population and are advisory members of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community.

The parliament exercises several functions:

Compositions

See also: List of members of the Walloon Parliament.

2024–2029 (current)

AffiliationMembers
 Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement")26
 Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party")19
 Les Engagés ("The Committed Ones")17
 Parti du Travail de Belgique ("Workers' Party of Belgium")8
 Ecolo ("Environmentalist")5
 Total75

2019–2024

AffiliationMembers
 Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party")23
 Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement")20
 Ecolo ("Environmentalist")12
 Parti du Travail de Belgique ("Workers' Party of Belgium")10
 Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre")10
 Total75

2014–2019

This is the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 2014 regional election.

Affiliation Members
  Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party")30
  Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement")25
  Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre")13
  Ecolo ("Environmentalist")4
  Parti du Travail de Belgique ("Workers' Party of Belgium")2
  Parti populaire ("People's Party")1
 Total
75

2009–2014

This is the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 2009 regional election. The PS, Ecolo and CDH formed together a government.

Affiliation Members
  Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party")29
  Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement")19
  Ecolo ("Environmentalist")14
  Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre")13
 Total
75

2004–2009

This was the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 2004 regional election. The PS and CDH formed together a government.

Affiliation Members
  Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party")34
  Mouvement Réformateur ("Reformist Movement")20
  Centre démocrate humaniste ("Humanist Democratic Centre")14
  Front National ("National Front")4
  Ecolo ("Environmentalist")3
 Total
75

1999–2004

This was the composition of the Walloon Parliament following the 1999 regional election. The PS, Ecolo and PRL formed together a government.

Affiliation Members
  Parti Socialiste ("Socialist Party")25
  Parti Réformateur Libéral ("Reformist Movement")
with Front Démocratique des Francophones ("Democratic Front of the Francophones")
21
  Ecolo ("Environmentalist")14
  Parti Social Chrétien ("Christian Socialist Party")14
  Front National ("National Front")1
 Total
75

1995–1999

83016192
EcoloPSPSCPRL + FDFFN
1999–2004
142514211
EcoloPSPSCPRL + FDFFN
2004–2009
33414204
EcoloPSCDHMRFN
2009–2014
14291319
EcoloPSCDHMR
2014–2019
243013251
PTB–GO!EcoloPSCDHMRPP
2019–present
1012231020
PTB–GO!EcoloPSCDHMR

Constituencies

The Walloon Parliament is the only Belgian parliament which still uses arrondissement-based constituencies. The federal Chamber of Representatives and the Flemish Parliament both merged theirs into larger province-based constituencies.

A January 2018 law merged both Luxembourg constituencies and reformed the Hainaut constituencies (* = boundaries changed), following a successful challenge by Ecolo to the Constitutional Court that constituencies with too few seats are unrepresentative.

Province Constituency 2019
14 13
6
4
10 9 10 *
3
7 7 *
6 5 5 *
4 5 *
7 8
6 7
3 4
3 6
2

See also

External links

50.464°N 4.8735°W