Parliament of Wallonia

The Parliament of Wallonia (French: Parlement de Wallonie), or the 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.

Parliament of Wallonia French: Parlement de Wallonie German: Parlament von Wallonien
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
President	Willy Borsus, MR since 25 June 2024
Structure
Seats	75
Political groups	Government (43)   MR (26)   LE (17) Opposition (32)   PS (19)   PTB (8)   Ecolo (5)
Length of term	5 years
Elections
Last election	9 June 2024
Next election	2029
Meeting place
Saint-Gilles Hospice, Namur
Website
https://www.parlement-wallonie.be/

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".

Saint-Gilles Hospice from the Meuse, beneath the Namur Citadel

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:

• It discusses and passes decrees, and they can take initiatives to draw them up. After this, decrees are sanctioned and promulgated by the Walloon Government.
• It controls the Walloon Government. Control is exercised via the vote.
• It ratifies the international treaties linked to its powers.

Compositions

See also: List of members of the Walloon Parliament

2024–2029 (current)

Affiliation		Members
	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
Total		75

2019–2024

Affiliation		Members
	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
Total		75

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.

Seat division of the Parliament after the elections of 2009

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.

Seat division of the Parliament after the elections of 2004

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.

Seat division of the Parliament after the elections of 1999

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

8	30	16	19	2
Ecolo	PS	PSC	PRL + FDF	FN

1999–2004

14	25	14	21	1
Ecolo	PS	PSC	PRL + FDF	FN

2004–2009

3	34	14	20	4
Ecolo	PS	CDH	MR	FN

2009–2014

14	29	13	19
Ecolo	PS	CDH	MR

2014–2019

2	4	30	13	25	1
PTB–GO!	Ecolo	PS	CDH	MR	PP

2019–present

10	12	23	10	20
PTB–GO!	Ecolo	PS	CDH	MR

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	1995 & 1999	2004 & 2009	2014	2019
Liège	Liège	14	13
	Verviers	6
	Huy-Waremme	4
Hainaut	Charleroi	10	9		10 *
	Thuin	3
	Tournai-Ath-Mouscron	7			7 *
	Mons	6		5	5 *
	Soignies	4			5 *
Walloon Brabant	Nivelles	7	8
Namur	Namur	6		7
	Dinant-Philippeville	3	4
Luxembourg	Arlon-Marche-Bastogne	3			6
	Neufchâteau-Virton	2

See also

• Government of Wallonia
• Minister-President of Wallonia
• Flemish Parliament
• Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Parliament of the French Community
• Parliament of the German-speaking Community

External links

Media related to Parliament of Wallonia at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (in French)