Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde

The Belgian electoral district of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde (Dutch Brussel -Halle- Vilvoorde, French Bruxelles -Hal - Vilvoorde, often in both languages ​​as BHV abbreviated ) was until 2012 the only constituency to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and to the European Parliament, which several of the area regions covered. The area covers approximately 1.6 million inhabitants.

The existence of this constituency was very controversial in light of the Flemish- Walloon conflict, its division along regional borders was a central demand of the Flemish parties. In September 2011, eight parties agreed under the auspices of the francophone Socialist Party, which was finally adopted on 14 July 2012 by the Chamber of Deputies.

Political background

The current Belgian policy is dominated by the mostly referred to as Flemish- Walloon conflict confrontation between the Flemish and the French-speaking population. Relevant parties nationally active there in the Belgian party system therefore since the 1970s are no longer; rather exist on the individual currents of the political spectrum in each separate Flemish and French-speaking parties. Their representatives in the federal parliament act accordingly at the same time as representatives of their language group.

Since 1993, Belgium is a federal state that is divided into regions and communities. The boundaries of the regions follow in 1962 established division of Belgium into linguistic regions: Flanders in the north is Dutch-speaking, Wallonia in the south ( with the exception of a small German-speaking area in the east) French-speaking, and the Brussels-Capital completely enclosed by the Flemish Region is bilingual in French and Dutch, where most of the inhabitants are French-speaking. The regions with the exception of Brussels in these provinces and further divided into arrondissements, which perform essentially administrative tasks.

The Belgian Chamber of Deputies is elected by proportional representation in eleven constituencies. The total number of each constituency available seats is predetermined according to population.

Definition, structure and characteristics

The constituency includes the Brussels-Capital Region and the neighboring district of Halle- Vilvoorde in the province of Flemish Brabant. He differs from the other, each comprising the territory of one province. The only other deviation from this represents the constituency lion, corresponding to the district of the same name and thus comprises the not the constituency of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde that part of the province of Flemish Brabant.

The Brussels Region is officially bilingual, the vast majority of the voting population is, however, from French-speaking Belgians. The Arrondissement Halle- Vilvoorde heard, however, as part of the Flemish Region to the Dutch-speaking region. In particular, in the communities adjacent to the Brussels region (also Vlaamse Rand, Brusselse edge or périphérie called ), however, are home to many French-speaking citizens. They represent the majority in five of the six so-called facilities communities which, while include the Dutch-speaking region, however, where French-speaking citizens enjoy certain facilities. So they can communicate in French about the municipality, also financed the establishment of French-language kindergartens and primary schools is permitted. These " facilities " are controversial for a long time, Flemish politicians are calling for its abolition, arguing that the French-speaking citizens should be integrated into their Flemish environment.

The essential feature of the constituency is the fact that compete both Flemish and French-speaking parties in it. In the remaining ten constituencies of voters can select only between parties to a language group. Since the electoral district of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde also extends to the Flemish region, can make use of this possibility not only the inhabitants of the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, but also the French-speaking inhabitants of the nearby constituency in Flemish municipalities.

Electoral and constitutional context

Traditional Belgian electoral system

The Belgian Chamber of Deputies is elected by proportional representation in constituencies. By 1993 there were 30 constituencies. The seat number of individual constituencies depends on the population (including foreigners). Until 1993, each of the then nine provinces was divided into at least two constituencies. The special feature of the electoral system was the so-called Apparentierung, in which the parties were able to combine their lists from various constituencies same province each other: the parties were initially directly in each constituency as many seats as they had full Hare quotas. This figure is calculated by dividing the number of valid votes cast in the constituency by the number of seats in the constituency. This is calculated by dividing the number of valid votes by the number of available seats. With five seats to be filled, so there was for each full fifth of the votes a seat at six mandates for each full -sixth of a seat so seats that could not be forgiven so, were allocated at the level of the province. Only parties were allowed to participate, that had obtained at least one constituency of the province, at least 66 % of the Hare quota.

The seats were distributed at the provincial level that they were distributed within the province proportionally according to the D' Hondt method on the parties. The parties were given a corresponding number of seats in addition to those who had achieved directly in the constituency. These additional seats were distributed in a complicated process among the constituencies that each constituency reached the specified number of seats. As a result, so there was a proportional allocation of seats by Apparentierung within the province and every constituency of the province had the number of seats that corresponded to its population. However, no proportional distribution of seats in each constituency was guaranteed.

1993 reform

As part of the Belgian state reform in 1993, the number of members of the House of Representatives was reduced from 212 to 150, at the same time decreased the number of constituencies from 30 to 20 and the blocking clause from 66 to 33 % of the Hare quota. Three provinces passed since then only from one constituency. The province of Brabant, which was divided in the choice of Brussels- Halle- Vilvoorde, lion and Nivelles, was dissolved on January 1, 1995. The Brussels region became a member no longer Province, the rest of Brabant was along the language border in the provinces of Flemish Brabant ( Flemish Brabant ), and Walloon Brabant ( Brabant Wallon, identical to the choice of Nivelles ) divided. The three constituencies remained unchanged in terms of area. Despite resolution of the province of Brabant, the Apparentierung was further carried out at the level of the old province.

2002 reform

By a law amending the December 2002 has since formed each province a single constituency. The allocation of seats D' Hondt method, with a 5 % threshold applies. For the former province Brabant Amendment Act provided for special provisions which included a Bebeibehaltung of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde. This special but was set for the 2003 election by the judgment of the Constitutional Court of 26 February 2003 temporarily suspended and explained by a further judgment of 26 May 2003 to be void. In contrast to the rest of Belgium is therefore considered here the force to 2002 procedures for allocation of seats on. It is on the basis of the judgment of the Constitutional Court now just a combination of lists of Brussels -Halle- Vilvoorde either with a list of the constituency lion or a possible from the Constituency of Nivelles. It is no longer possible to connect lists from all three constituencies together. In its judgment of 26 May 2003 not only parts of the legislative changes of 2002 were declared unconstitutional, but also the continued existence of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde. As in the rest of the country, the constituency boundaries now follow the provincial boundaries, it is an unjustified difference of treatment that the Province of Flemish Brabant fancy as the only province not have its own constituency. For a change of constituency boundaries set the judgment in a roundabout form of a deadline to 24 June 2007. Deadline was ignored by the policy and the 2010 election was held on the basis of the existing constituency boundaries.

Flemish bill

In July 2007, several members of CD & V and N -VA introduced a bill, which provided for a division of Brussels -Halle- Vilvoorde. Flemish Brabant and the Brussels region to form their own constituency respectively. However, since a completely separate distribution of seats would be detrimental to the Flemish parties, the Apparentierung in the former province of Brabant is to be maintained in an amended form. Lists for the electoral district of Brussels should be able to connect it with either a list of the constituency Flemish Brabant or from the Constituency of Walloon Brabant, but it should not be possible to combine lists for all three constituencies for the Apparentierung. To participate in the allocation of seats, want to require a vote share of 5 % in one of the constituencies. The bill was held in November 2007, a majority of the domestic committee of the Chamber of Deputies, a final vote on the bill has been delayed from the francophone side, and also by the German -speaking Community.

Controversy

The preservation of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde, which exists since the state was founded in 1830, in the 1960s was part of a compromise between the language groups in the definition of the linguistic divide. In the meantime, see the Flemish parties in him but an unfair advantage for the French-speaking inhabitants of Flemish municipalities, otherwise in the Belgian electoral system (such as for Flemish inhabitants Walloon communities ) do not give. Among their key demands with regard to the future structure of the Belgian state, therefore, the division of the electoral district belongs along the regional borders: as a result of the division of the Brussels region would be a new, independent constituency, and the province of Flemish Brabant (comprising the arrondissements of Halle- Vilvoorde and Leuven ) would like the other Belgian provinces also represent a single constituency.

Such a reorganization of constituencies would mean that the French-speaking voters could no longer vote for (Brussels ) candidates of the French-speaking parties in the Flemish municipalities. While there would not be denied these parties to field their own candidates in a constituency Flemish Brabant, but would the total proportion of French-speaking voters in this constituency is so low that these candidates would have no prospect of parliamentary seats, unless several Francophone parties made a joint list goes on.

The requirement for an appropriate sharing of Brussels -Halle- Vilvoorde is now largely consensus within the Flemish parties of the French-speaking parties but is also almost unanimously rejected. Since a change of constituency boundaries is difficult to carry out without the consent of both language groups in the Belgian Parliament, it will be presented as part of an extended compromise on reform of the state. A proposal from the francophone side is, for example, to strike all the majority French-speaking communes in the Brussels capital region of Brussels. By such an extension of the Brussels region, it would ultimately lead to a territorial connection (corridor) between the predominantly francophone Capital Region, which previously formed an enclave in Flanders and Francophone Wallonia. Such - as always in the details -looking - boundary shift to the detriment of Flanders was again rejected by the Flemish side flat.

The question of the possible splitting of the electoral district BHV was also the focus of the coalition negotiations after the parliamentary elections of 10 June 2007. Contrarian views of the Flemish and French-speaking parties on this issue were an essential factor in the rupture of the coalition government in July 2008 and April 2010.

Reform of the electoral district

According to early elections in June 2010 resulted in a dispute over the future of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde and a general reform of the Belgian state to a blockade of the formation of a government. The two election winners, the Nieuw- Vlaamse Flemish Alliantie (N -VA) and the French-speaking Parti Socialiste ( PS), were unable to agree on a reform of the state, whereupon the outgoing Prime Minister Yves Leterme had business leaders remain in office. 15 months after the parliamentary elections, eight parties agreed under the auspices of the PS to a division of the constituency; to this agreement, the N -VA was not involved. In place of the existing constituencies of Brussels-Halle -Vilvoorde and Leuven are the constituency of Brussels, identical to the Brussels region, and the constituency of Flemish Brabant, identical with the homonymous province, occurred. Only the six facilities in the surrounding communities of the capital may also vote for French-speaking candidates in Brussels. As in the rest of Belgium, the seats are to be distributed in the future at the constituency level by the D' Hondt method, a threshold of 5 % of the valid votes cast in the constituency is considered.