Another short note on Belgium

Here is some additional information on the election in Belgium (I wrote an article about it for AiP):

In Wallonia, the Parti Socialiste did not become the biggest party for the first time in modern history, only collecting some 11 percent of the vote. A corruption scandal in Charleroi is one explanation, but from what I understand the PS is suffering from a bad image in general (symbolizing old power, a stagnating economy, etc).

After the scandal in Charleroi, the liberal party MR broke with PS, and MR became the biggest party in Wallonia, collecting some 12,5 percent of the vote.

In Flanders, the SP.a and their ally SPIRIT (a small, liberal party to the left of center) only got some 10 percent of the vote. That is five percentage points lower than in 2003 and Johan Vande Lanotte, party leader of the SP.a, has already resigned.

The big election winner was the Christian Democratic party in Flanders; CD&V. Their leader, Yves Leterme, will probably become new Prime Minister and the new government will probably not include PS or SP.a anymore (they were both part of the outgoing government).

The green parties in Wallonia and Flanders went from four to twelve mandates in total. The extreme party Vlaams Belang became the second biggest party in Flanders (unfortunately), but the Front National in Wallonia only got one mandate.

My own take on this? I guess serious post-election debates are needed in both PS and SP.a, and in parallel there will be a discussion on the political future of the nation called Belgium. Just as always.

The left took a hard blow in Belgium

I promised to follow up with an election report from Belgium, and my dear friend Brian just sent me the following update. Here you go (it's sad news):

”The left took a hard blow, especially in Flanders – and that came as a shock, as polls pointed them around 20%.

In the French speaking community the loss is around 10% – but could have been much more difficult considering the context of affairs in Charleroi.

In spite of the spin the liberals are trying to give to the outcome, they lost as well. The real winners are the Christian‑democrats in the north, the greens and Christian-democrats in the south.

Only good point is: the extreme right parties go on with their downward spiral, compared to the regional elections of 2004 and the local elections of last year.

Surprising enough, though, is the rise of the populist ”Lijst de decker”.

It is very likely that both socialist parties will be in the opposition, and in MJS’s view, there is nothing to be gained in joining a government in the current situation.

As the CD&V is really willing to reach a two‑third strong coalition to change the constitution, the negociations will probably be long and painful.”

And here are the numbers:

Chambre:
CD&V : 30 (+8)
MR : 23 (‑2)
PS : 20 (‑5)
VLD : 18 (‑7)Vlaams Belang: 17 (‑1)
SPa: 14 (‑9)
CDH: 10 (+2)
ecolo: 8 (+4)
Lijst de decker: 5 (+5)
Groen: 4 (+4)
FN: 1 (=)

Senate:
CD&V: 9 (+3)
MR : 6 (+1)
Vlaams Belang : 5 (=)
VLD : 5 (‑2)
PS : 4 (‑2)
SPa: 4 (‑3)
CDH: 2 (=)
Ecolo: 2 (+1)
FN : 1 (=)
Groen: 1 (+1)
Liist de decker: 1 (+1)

It’s not only about Hillary and Giuliani

In the US Presidential race, there are a lot a candidates mainstream media seldom writes about. As a change, watch this interview with Republican candidate Ron Paul on John Stewart’s Daily Show. And don’t miss Stewart’s debate advise to Ron Paul (right at the end).

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I got some questions about the election in Belgium, and yes I am trying to follow it (mainly through Le Soir). But honsestly, it is not easy to follow politics in Belgium, so I hope my friend Brian will continue to help me. From what I understand, the PS is doing OK in Wallonia/Brussels (first in the polls!?), while the SP.A is between second and fourth in the Flemish part (??).