List of elections in Belgium
This is an overview of all regular elections held in the Kingdom of Belgium since its independence. This excludes local referenda and special elections (by-elections) that existed before 1919. Municipal elections prior to 1919 are not listed either.
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Belgium |
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Federal Cabinet |
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Unitary state (1831–1994)
Elections in 1831–1919
Representatives were elected for a 4-year term; half of the Chamber was up for election each two years. Senators were elected for an 8-year term; half of the Senate was up for election each four years. The first series (referenced as "E" here) consisted of the provinces of East Flanders, Hainaut, Liège and Limburg; the second series ("A" below) of Antwerp, Brabant, Luxembourg, Namur and West Flanders.
An equivalent system applied to elections for municipal and provincial councils.
Year | Provincial elections | Legislative elections |
---|---|---|
1831 | N/A | 29 August 1831 |
1833 | N/A | 23 May 1833 (full: Chamber fully renewed following its dissolution)[1] |
1835 | N/A | 9 June 1835 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
Municipal law and provincial law of 1836 | ||
1836 | 29 September 1836 (full) | N/A |
1837 | N/A | 13 June 1837 (partial: Chamber A) |
1838 | 28 May 1838 (partial) | N/A |
1839 | N/A | 11 June 1839 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
1840 | 25 May 1840 (partial) | N/A |
1841 | N/A | 8 June 1841 (partial: Chamber A) |
1842 | 23 May 1842 (partial) | N/A |
1843 | N/A | 12 June 1843 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
1844 | 27 May 1844 (partial) | N/A |
1845 | N/A | 10 June 1845 (partial: Chamber A) |
1846 | 25 May 1846 (partial) | N/A |
1847 | N/A | 8 June 1847 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
Equalisation of cens (tax as part of censitary suffrage) to the constitutional minimum by law of 12 March 1848. | ||
1848 | 12 juli 1848 (full) | 13 June 1848 (full: both chambers)[2] |
1850 | 27 May 1850 (partial) | 11 June 1850 (partial: Chamber A) |
1851 | N/A | 27 September 1851 (full: Senate)[3] |
1852 | 24 May 1852 (partial) | 8 June 1852 (partial: Chamber E) |
1854 | 22 May 1854 (partial) | 13 June 1854 (partial: Chamber A) |
1855 | N/A | 12 June 1855 (partial: Senate E) |
1856 | 26 May 1856 (partial) | 10 June 1856 (partial: Chamber E) |
1857 | N/A | 10 December 1857 (full: Chamber)[1] |
1858 | 24 May 1858 (partial) | N/A |
1859 | N/A | 14 June 1859 (partial: Chamber A and Senate A) |
1860 | 28 May 1860 (partial) | N/A |
1861 | N/A | 11 June 1861 (partial: Chamber E) |
1862 | 26 May 1862 (partial) | N/A |
1863 | N/A | 9 June 1863 (partial: Chamber A and Senate E) |
1864 | 23 May 1864 (partial) | 11 August 1864 (full: Chamber)[1] |
1866 | 28 May 1866 (partial) | 12 June 1866 (partial: Chamber E) |
1867 | N/A | 11 June 1867 (partial: Senate A) |
1868 | 25 May 1868 (partial) | 9 June 1868 (partial: Chamber A) |
1870 | 23 May 1870 (partial) | 11 June 1870 (partial: Chamber E) 2 August 1870 (full: both chambers)[2] |
1872 | 27 May 1872 (full) | 11 June 1872 (partial: Chamber A) |
1874 | 25 May 1874 (partial) | 9 June 1874 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
1876 | 22 May 1876 (partial) | 13 June 1876 (partial: Chamber A) |
1878 | 27 May 1878 (partial) | 11 June 1878 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
1880 | 24 May 1880 (partial) | 8 June 1880 (partial: Chamber A) |
1882 | 22 May 1882 (partial) | 13 June 1882 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
1884 | 25 May 1884 (partial) | 10 June 1884 (partial: Chamber A) and 8 July 1884 (full: Senate)[3] |
1886 | 23 May 1886 (partial) | 8 June 1886 (partial: Chamber E) |
1888 | 27 May 1888 (partial) | 12 June 1888 (partial: Chamber A and Senate A) |
1890 | 25 May 1890 (partial) | 10 June 1890 (partial: Chamber E) |
1892 | 22 May 1892 (partial) | 14 June 1892 (full: both chambers)[4] |
Constitutional reforms of 1893 and Electoral Code of 12 April 1894:
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1894 | 28 October 1894 (full) | 14 October 1894 (full: both chambers)[2] |
1896 | 26 July 1896 (partial) | 5 July 1896 (partial: Chamber A) |
Provincial Elections Law of 22 April 1898:
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1898 | 5 June 1898 (partial) | 22 May 1898 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
Legislative elections now use a proportional system with substitutes instead of a majority system with run-off and special elections | ||
1900 | 3 June 1900 (partial) | 27 May 1900 (full: both chambers)[2] |
1902 | N/A | 25 May 1902 (partial: Chamber A) |
1904 | 5 June 1904 (partial) | 29 May 1904 (partial: Chamber E and Senate A) |
1906 | N/A | 27 May 1906 (partial: Chamber A) |
1908 | 14 June 1908 (partial) | 24 May 1908 (partial: Chamber E and Senate E) |
1910 | N/A | 22 May 1910 (partial: Chamber A) |
1912 | 9 June 1912 (partial) | 12 June 1912 (full: both chambers)[2] |
1914 | N/A | 24 May 1914 (partial: Chamber E) |
Elections in 1919–1994
Year | Municipal elections | Provincial elections | Legislative elections | Other |
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Following World War I, major reforms were passed:
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1919 | N/A | N/A | 16 November 1919[4] | |
1920 | N/A | N/A | 16 May 1920 (special Senate election) | |
Provincial Elections Law of 19 October 1921:
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1921 | 24 April 1921 | 27 November 1921 | 20 November 1921[2] | |
1925 | N/A | 8 November 1925 | 5 April 1925[2] | |
1926 | 10 October 1926 | N/A | ||
1929 | N/A | 9 June 1929 | 26 May 1929 | |
1932 | 9 October 1932 | 4 December 1932 | 27 November 1932[2] | |
1935 | N/A | N/A | 14 April 1935 (partial Chamber election in Brussels) | |
1936 | N/A | 7 June 1936 | 24 May 1936[2] | |
1937 | N/A | N/A | 11 April 1937 (partial Chamber election in Brussels) | |
1938 | 9 October 1938 | N/A | ||
1939 | N/A | N/A | 2 April 1939[2] (snap) | |
World War II | ||||
1946 | 24 November 1946 | 24 February 1946 | 17 February 1946[2] | |
Reforms:
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1949 | N/A | 26 June 1949[2] | ||
1950 | N/A | 4 June 1950[2] (snap) | 12 March 1950 (referendum) | |
1952 | 12 October 1952 | N/A | ||
1954 | N/A | 11 April 1954[4] | ||
1958 | 12 October 1958 | 1 June 1958[4] | ||
1961 | N/A | 26 March 1961[2] (snap) | ||
1964 | 11 October 1964 | N/A | ||
1965 | N/A | 23 May 1965[4] | ||
1968 | N/A | 31 March 1968[4] (snap) | ||
1970 | 11 October 1970 | N/A | ||
1971 | N/A | 7 November 1971[2] | 21 November 1971 (Brussels Agglomeration Council) | |
1974 | N/A | 10 March 1974[2] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
Large-scale merging of municipalities; their number was reduced from 2,663 to 589 | ||||
1976 | 10 October 1976 | N/A | ||
1977 | N/A | 17 April 1977[2] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
1978 | N/A | 17 December 1978[4] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
1979 | N/A | N/A | 10 June 1979 (European) | |
1982 | 10 October 1982 | N/A | ||
1981 | N/A | 8 November 1981[4] (snap) | Including for the Council of the German cultural community | |
1984 | N/A | N/A | 17 June 1984 (European) | |
1985 | N/A | 13 October 1985[2] | ||
1986 | N/A | N/A | 26 October 1986 (German-speaking Community) | |
1987 | N/A | 13 December 1987[4] (snap) | ||
1988 | 9 October 1988 | N/A | ||
1989 | N/A | N/A | 18 June 1989 (European); 18 June 1989 (Brussels) | |
1990 | N/A | N/A | 28 October 1990 (German-speaking Community) | |
1991 | N/A | 24 November 1991[4] |
Federal state (1994–present)
The 1993–1994 fourth state reform had far-reaching consequences for the institutional structure of the country.
Local elections (six-year terms) include provincial and municipal elections, as well as district elections in Antwerp.
Regional elections (five-year terms, concurrently with European elections) are elections to the different parliaments of communities and regions: the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon Parliament, the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Parliament of the German-speaking Community and indirectly the Parliament of the French Community and the three assemblies of the community commissions in Brussels.
Year | Local elections | Regional elections | Federal elections | European elections |
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1994 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 12 June 1994 |
9 October 1994 | N/A | |||
1995 | N/A | 21 May 1995 | 21 May 1995[4] | N/A |
1999 | N/A | 13 June 1999 | 13 June 1999[4] | 13 June 1999 |
Districts in the city of Antwerp are established; their councils are now elected as well during local elections | ||||
2000 | 8 October 2000 | N/A | ||
Federal constituencies changed from arrondissements to provinces; electoral threshold of 5% introduced | ||||
2003 | N/A | N/A | 18 May 2003[4] | N/A |
2004 | N/A | 13 June 2004 | N/A | 13 June 2004 |
Fifth state reform:
| ||||
2006 | 8 October 2006 | N/A | ||
2007 | N/A | N/A | 10 June 2007[4] | N/A |
2009 | N/A | 7 June 2009 | N/A | 7 June 2009 |
2010 | N/A | N/A | 13 June 2010[4] (snap) | N/A |
2012 | 14 October 2012 | N/A | ||
Sixth state reform: | ||||
2014 | N/A | 25 May 2014 | 25 May 2014[4] | 25 May 2014 |
2018 | 14 October 2018 | N/A | ||
2019 | N/A | 26 May 2019 | 26 May 2019 | 26 May 2019 |
2024 | 13 October 2024 | May 2024 | May 2024 |
Notes
- The Chamber of Representatives was dissolved by royal order.
- Both Chambers were dissolved by royal order.
- The Senate was dissolved by royal order.
- Both Chambers were dissolved automatically by Declaration of Revision of the Constitution.