Conference with Pascal Delwit
For our first conference of the year, on Wednesday 27 November, we invited Pascal Delwit, Professor of Political Science at the ULB and a specialist in Belgian politics, to give us an insight into the formation of coalitions at regional and federal levels in the country after the elections on 9 June 2024.
To this end, the political scientist first outlined the different ways in which governments have been formed in Belgium since 1830, through the prism of a periodic division, in order to understand the evolution of the Belgian political system over time, mainly in the light of the different political cleavages that have marked Belgian society and the evolution of the electoral law such as the plural vote .
After painting this historical picture, Mr Delwit went on to describe the trends that characterise Belgian political life today, highlighting the fragmentation of the citizens' vote, accompanied by the growing assertiveness of parties on the fringes of the political system, to the detriment of the traditional parties. Above all, he highlighted the increasing difficulty of forming governments, a trend that has been confirmed with each new legislative period in Belgium in recent years.
In conclusion, the professor expressed a certain pessimism about the forthcoming formation of governments at federal and Brussels level, putting into perspective the information we read in the press about the likely dates for the finalisation of government agreements.
After this enriching and topical conference, Mr Delwit answered questions from the participants and we organised a drink at the end of the evening so that everyone could chat in a more convivial atmosphere!
