Jump to content

Vooruit (political party)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromSp.a)
For the historic complex with the same name, seeVooruit.

Onward
Vooruit
PresidentConner Rousseau
Founded1978;46 years ago(1978)
Preceded byBelgian Socialist Party
HeadquartersKeizerslaan 13,
Brussels
Youth wingJongsocialisten
Membership(2014)Decrease49,703[1][2]
IdeologySocial democracy[3]
Political positionCentre-left[4]
European affiliationParty of European Socialists
European Parliament groupProgressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
International affiliationProgressive Alliance
Francophone counterpartSocialist Party
ColoursRed
Chamber of Representatives
13 / 87
(Flemish seats)
Senate
4 / 35
(Flemish seats)
Flemish Parliament
13 / 124
Brussels Parliament
3 / 17
(Flemish seats)
European Parliament
2 / 12
(Flemish seats)
Flemish Provincial Councils
18 / 175
Website
vooruit.org
Formerly
Socialist Party
Socialistische Partij
(1978–2001)
Socialist Party Differently
Socialistische Partij Anders
(2001–2021)

Vooruit(DutchforOnward,pronounced[voːrˈœyt]ⓘ) is aFlemishsocial democraticpolitical party in Belgium.[5][6][7][8]It was known as the (Flemish) Socialist Party[9][10][11](1978–2001:Socialistische Partij,SP;2001–2021:Socialistische Partij Anders,[a]SP.A) until 21 March 2021, when its current name was adopted.[12]

The party was founded following the linguistic split of the unitaryBelgian Socialist Partyin 1978, which also produced the FrancophoneSocialist Party.The Belgian Socialist Party itself consisted of former members of theBelgian Labour Party.From December 2011 to September 2014, the party was part of theDi Rupo Government,along with its Francophone counterpart. In 2020, it re-entered federal government as part of theDe Croo Government.The party has been a part of theFlemish Governmentseveral times.

History

[edit]

1885–1940

[edit]
Main article:Belgian Labour Party

1940–1978

[edit]
Main article:Belgian Socialist Party

Since 1978

[edit]
Part ofa serieson
Social democracy
History
Concepts
Variants
People
Organizations
By region
Related

The party was the big winner in the 2003 election, running on theSP.A–Spiritjoint list (cartel) with thesocial-liberalpartySpirit.Their share of the vote went up from 9% (of the total Belgian vote) to almost 15%, a second place in the number of votes. The main victim of this resurgence was theGreen!party (formerly known asAgalev). SP.A was part of the "purple"federal coalitions of Prime MinisterGuy Verhofstadtfrom 12 July 1999 until 10 June 2007, which contained both the Flemish and Francophone liberal and social-democratic parties.

In 2004, the SP.A along with its partner Spirit lost the elections for theFlemish Parliament.Although they won more seats in comparison to the Flemish elections of 1999, their percentage of the vote compared to the successful 2003 federal elections was considerably down. The reputation of then party leaderSteve Stevaerttook a beating too.

The party was briefly led byCaroline Gennez,after former presidentSteve Stevaertleft to become governor ofLimburg.Johan Vande Lanotte,who served as Minister of the Budget in the federal Government, was elected President and resigned as minister to become President on 17 October 2005. He resigned 11 June 2007, after SP.A–Spirit lost theelections for the federal parliamentof 10 June 2007.[13]In thesefederal elections,the cartel won 14 out of 150 seats in theChamber of Representativesand 4 out of 40 seats in theSenate.Afterwards, Caroline Gennez was elected President by the party members.

As of May 2009, SP.A was in opposition in federal politics. Unlike its Francophone counterpart, theSocialist Party(PS), SP.A was not a participant in theLeterme II Government.

In January 2009, the party had apparently changed its name to Socialists and Progressive Differently (Dutch:Socialisten en Progressieven Anders). This name change was retracted and the party baseline was changed from Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch:Sociaal Progressief Alternatief) to Socialists and Progressive Differently (Dutch:Socialisten en Progressieven Anders).[14]

In the2010 federal election,SP.A won 13 seats with 9% of the overall vote. The party was a member of theDi Rupo Governmentformed on 6 December 2011, until the elections in 2014. In the elections for the Chamber of Representatives on 25 May 2014, SP.A scored again 9% and received 13 seats, in contrast to their francophone Socialist Party counterparts, who lost 3 seats and whose share of the vote decreased by 2%. In theFlemish Parliament,SP.A have 18 representatives, deriving from around 14% of the vote—this is a small reduction on the 2009 parliament, where SP.A had 19 seats, deriving from 15% of the popular vote. From 2009–2014, SP.A participated in theFlemish Government,in an uneasy coalition with the CD & V and the N-VA. From 2014 onwards, SP.A formed part of the opposition in Flanders, as the regional government reflected the Flemish component of the federal administration, consisting of coalition of the Open-VLD, CD & V and the N-VA.

Leaders and representatives at a climate march, October 2021

In January 2018, the party advocated for a "new socialism" and a "new equality".[15][16]In September 2020, party leader Conner Rousseau announced a renaming of the party toVooruit( "Forward" ).[17]The new name was made official on 21 March 2021.

Political views

[edit]

Vooruit is a Flemishsocial-democraticparty.Equal opportunitiesandsolidarityare central to the party. The party strives to ensure that those who earn the most or own the greatest wealth also pay the highest taxes so that the government can meet the needs of people who are less fortunate. Vooruit focuses on protecting thepurchasing powerof ordinary citizens. It opposes cuts insocial securityand advocates investment, especially ineducationandhealth care.[18]

Presidents

[edit]
Presidents of the SP[19]
Period President
1978–1989 Karel Van Miert
1989–1994 Frank Vandenbroucke
1994–1998 Louis Tobback
1998–1999 Fred Erdman
1999–2001 Patrick Janssens
Presidents of Vooruit[19]
Period President Vice-President
2001–2003 Patrick Janssens
2003–2005 Steve Stevaert Caroline Gennez
2005 Caroline Gennez(ad interim) N/A
2005–2007 Johan Vande Lanotte Caroline Gennez
2007–2011 Caroline Gennez Dirk Van der Maelen
2011–2015 Bruno Tobback Joke Quintens
2015–2019 John Crombez Stephanie Van Houtven
2019–2023 Conner Rousseau Funda Oru
2023–present Melissa Depraetere(ad interim) Funda Oru

Members holding notable public offices

[edit]

European politics

[edit]
European Parliament
Name Committees
Kathleen Van Brempt International Trade

Federal politics

[edit]
Chamber of Representatives
Name Notes Name Notes
West FlandersMelissa Depraetere Faction leader West FlandersVicky Reynaert
Antwerp ProvinceJan Bertels Antwerp ProvinceBen Segers
Limburg (Belgium)Bert Moyaers Limburg (Belgium)Kris Verduyckt
East FlandersAnja Vanrobaeys East FlandersJoris Vandenbroucke
Flemish BrabantKarine Jiroflée
Senate
Type Name Notes
Co-opted Senator BrusselsBert Anciaux Faction leader
Community Senator East FlandersKurt De Loor
Community Senator Flemish BrabantKatia Segers
Community Senator West FlandersAnnick Lambrecht
Belgian FederalDe Croo Government
Public Office Name Function
Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke Social Affairs and Public Health
Minister Meryame Kitir Development Cooperationand Urban Policy

Regional politics

[edit]
Flemish Parliament
Name Notes Name Notes
BrusselsHannelore Goeman Fraction Leader East FlandersConner Rousseau Party President
East FlandersKurt De Loor Community Senator East FlandersFreya Van den Bossche
West FlandersAnnick Lambrecht Community Senator West FlandersSteve Vandenberghe Mayor ofBredene
West FlandersMaxim Veys Flemish BrabantKatia Segers Community Senator
Flemish BrabantBruno Tobback Antwerp ProvinceCaroline Gennez
Antwerp ProvinceHannes Anaf Limburg (Belgium)Els Robeyns Mayor ofWellen
Limburg (Belgium)Ludwig Vandenhove
Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region
Name Notes
Fouad Ahidar[nl]
Els Rochette[nl]
Hilde Sabbe[nl]
Brussels Regional GovernmentVervoort II
Public Office Name Function
Minister Pascal Smet Urbanism, European and International Affairs, Foreign Trade, Fire Fighting and Emergency Medical Assistance

Provincial politics

[edit]
ProvincialCouncil
Province Percentage Seats
AntwerpAntwerp 12,80%
10 / 72
LimburgLimburg 20,10%°
13 / 63
East FlandersEast Flanders 12,70%
9 / 72
Flemish BrabantFlemish Brabant 12,10%
8 / 72
West FlandersWest Flanders 15,80%
12 / 72

° In Limburg, SP.A formed a cartel withGroen.

Election results

[edit]

Chamber of Representatives

[edit]
The main six Flemish political parties and their results for the Chamber of Representatives from 1978 to 2014 in percentages for the complete kingdom
Election Votes % Seats +/- Government
1978 684,976 12.4
26 / 212
 Coalition
1981 744,593 12.4
26 / 212
 Opposition
1985 882,200 14.6
32 / 212
 Increase6 Opposition
1987 915,432 14.9
32 / 212
 Steady0 Coalition
1991 737,976 12.0
28 / 212
 Decrease4 Coalition
1995 762,444 12.6
20 / 150
 Decrease8 Coalition
1999 593,372 9.5
14 / 150
 Decrease6 Coalition
2003* 979,750 14.9
23 / 150
 Increase9 Coalition
2007 684,390 10.3
14 / 150
 Decrease9 Opposition
2010 602,867 9.2
13 / 150
 Decrease1 Coalition
2014 595,190 8.8
13 / 150
 Steady0 Opposition
2019 455,034 6.7
9 / 150
 Decrease4 External support(2020)
Coalition(2020-)
2024 566,436 8.1
13 / 150
 Increase4 TBA

Senate

[edit]
Election Votes % Seats +/-
1978 678,776 12.4
13 / 106
1981 732,126 12.3
13 / 106
 Steady0
1985 868,624 14.5
16 / 106
 Increase3
1987 896,294 14.7
17 / 106
 Increase1
1991 730,274 11.9
14 / 106
 Decrease3
1995 792,941 13.2
6 / 40
 Decrease8
1999 550,657 8.9
4 / 40
 Decrease2
2003[b] 1,013,560 15.5
7 / 40
 Increase3
2007 665,342 10.0
4 / 40
 Decrease3
2010 613,079 9.5
4 / 40
 Steady0

Regional

[edit]

Brussels Parliament

[edit]
Election Votes % Seats +/- Government
D.E.C. Overall
1995 11,710 2.7 (#9)
2 / 75
 Coalition
1995 9,987 2.4 (#9)
2 / 75
 Steady0 Coalition
1999[c] 13,223 21.8 (#4) 3.1 (#8)
2 / 75
 Steady0 Coalition
2004[b] 11,052 17.7 (#3) 2.4 (#8)
3 / 89
 Increase1 Coalition
2009 10,085 19.5 (#2) 2.2 (#6)
4 / 89
 Increase1 Opposition
2014 10,450 19.5 (#2) 2.3 (#8)
3 / 89
 Decrease1 Coalition
2019 10,540 15.1 (#3) 2.3 (#10)
3 / 89
 Steady0 Coalition

Flemish Parliament

[edit]
Election Votes % Seats +/- Government
1995 733,703 19.4 (#3)
25 / 124
 Coalition
1999 582,419 15.0 (#4)
19 / 124
 Decrease6 Coalition
2004[d] 799,325 19.7 (#4)
22 / 124
 Increase3 Coalition
2009 627,852 15.3 (#3)
19 / 124
 Decrease3 Coalition
2014 587,903 14.0 (#4)
18 / 124
 Decrease1 Opposition
2019 429,631 10.1 (#5)
12 / 124
 Decrease6 Opposition

European Parliament

[edit]
Election List leader Votes % Seats +/- EP Group
D.E.C. Overall
1979 Karel Van Miert 698,889 20.90 (#2) 12.84
3 / 24
 New SOC
1984 979,702 28.13 (#2) 17.12
4 / 24
 Increase1
1989 Marc Galle 733,242 20.04 (#2) 12.43
3 / 24
 Decrease1
1994 Freddy Willockx 651,371 17.63 (#3) 10.92
3 / 25
 Steady0 PES
1999 Frank Vandenbroucke 550,237 14.21 (#4) 8.89
2 / 25
 Decrease1
2004[e] Mia De Vits 716,317 17.83 (#3) 11.04
3 / 24
 Increase1
2009 Kathleen Van Brempt 539,393 13.23 (#4) 8.21
2 / 22
 Decrease1 S&D
2014 555,354 13.18 (#4) 8.30
1 / 21
 Decrease1
2019 434,002 10.21 (#6) 6.45
1 / 21
 Steady0
2024 Bruno Tobback 570,067 12.64 (#4) 8.47
2 / 22
 Increase1

Symbols

[edit]
  • 2001–2010
    2001–2010
  • 2010–2018
    2010–2018
  • 2018–2021
    2018–2021
  • 2021–
    2021–

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^Dutch pronunciation:[soːʃaː'lɪstisəpɑrˈtɛiˈɑndərs]ⓘ,lit. 'Socialist Party Differently'
  2. ^abIn cartel withSpirit
  3. ^In cartel withAgalev
  4. ^In coalition withSpirit;25 seats won by SP.A/Spirit
  5. ^Run in a joint list withSpirit.

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Open VLD heeft de meeste leden en steekt CD&V voorbij".deredactie.be. 30 October 2014.
  2. ^"Open Vld telt meeste leden".De Morgen. 30 October 2014.
  3. ^Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019)."Flanders/Belgium".Parties and Elections in Europe.Retrieved30 May2019.
  4. ^Josep M. Colomer(2008).Comparative European Politics.Taylor & Francis. p. 220.ISBN978-0-203-94609-1.
  5. ^Hans Slomp (2011).Europe, A Political Profile: An American Companion to European Politics.ABC-CLIO. p. 465.ISBN978-0-313-39182-8.
  6. ^Dimitri Almeida (2012).The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties: Beyond the Permissive Consensus.CRC Press. p. 71.ISBN978-1-136-34039-0.
  7. ^Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko; Matti Mälkiä (2007).Encyclopedia of Digital Government.Idea Group Inc (IGI). p. 397.ISBN978-1-59140-790-4.
  8. ^Cas Mudde; Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser (2012).Populism in Europe and the Americas: Threat Or Corrective for Democracy?.Cambridge University Press. p. 27.ISBN978-1-107-02385-7.
  9. ^"sp.a - the Flemish Socialist Party".sp.a.Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2009.Retrieved4 January2021.
  10. ^"Conner Rousseau is the new leader of the Flemish Socialist Party".VRT NWS.8 November 2019.Retrieved4 January2021.
  11. ^Von der Burchard, Hans (21 May 2018)."Belgian socialist party circulates 'deep fake' Donald Trump video".Politico.Retrieved4 January2021.
  12. ^Torbeyns, Anouck (21 March 2021)."SP.A is officieel Vooruit: 'Definitief afstand van de stilstand'".De Standaard(in Dutch).Retrieved21 March2021.
  13. ^"Vande Lanotte gooit handdoek in de ring"(in Dutch). VRT. 11 June 2007.Retrieved12 June2007.
  14. ^Naam van sp.a verandert niet, begeleidende slogan welArchived20 January 2009 at theWayback Machine( "Sp.a name doesn't change, baseline does" ),GvA,17 January 2009
  15. ^"Le sp.a pour un" nouveau socialisme "et de" nouvelles égalités "(in French). RTBF. 21 January 2018.Retrieved16 May2020.
  16. ^"Le sp.a pour un" nouveau socialisme ".Le Vif/L'Express(in French). 21 January 2018.Retrieved16 May2020.
  17. ^Arnoudt, Rik (9 September 2020)."SP.A verandert binnenkort van naam en gaat" Vooruit "heten".VRT NWS(in Dutch).Retrieved4 January2021.
  18. ^"Waar staat Vooruit voor?"(in Dutch). VRT NWS. 15 April 2024.
  19. ^ab"sp.a partijvoorzitters".Tijdslijn.s-p-a.be. Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2009.Retrieved19 June2010.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vooruit_(political_party)&oldid=1243390963"