At Stake in this Election: 

• All 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives 

European Parliament elections, including contests for 22 Belgian seats, will occur concurrently.

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: King PHILIPPE (since 21 July 2013) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Alexander DE CROO (since 1 October 2020) 

• Assembly: bicameral Parliament with a 60-seat Senate and a 150-seat Chamber of Representatives

Electoral System:  

• The King is a hereditary monarch. 

• The monarch appoints the Prime Minister, historically choosing the leader of the parliamentary majority after each general election. 

• In the Senate, 50 members are indirectly elected by community/regional parliaments and an additional 10 members are indirectly elected by the other senators. All members serve renewable 5-year terms. 

• In the Chamber of Representatives, all 150 members are directly elected by proportional representation vote. All members serve renewable 5-year terms.

Last Election: 

In the 2019 legislative election, the New Flemish Alliance won the largest share of seats (25) followed by twelve other parties. Voter turnout was 87.28%.

Information for Voters: 

FAQs / Toutes les FAQ / Alle FAQ / alle FAQs (in French, Dutch, and German)

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline:  13 April 2024 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; Voter registration is passive and residence-based.

Main Parties in this Election: 

• New Flemish Alliance / Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) 

• Seats won in last election: 25 out of 150 

• Socialist Party / Parti Socialiste (PS) 

• Seats won in last election: 20 out of 150 

• Flemish Interest / Vlaams Belang (VB) 

• Seats won in last election: 18 out of 150 

• Reformist Movement / Mouvement Réformateur (MR) 

• Seats won in last election: 14 out of 150 

• Confederated Ecologists for the Organization of Original Struggles / Écologistes Confédérés pour l’organisation de luttes originales (Ecolo) 

• Seats won in last election: 13 out of 150 

• Christian Democratic and Flemish / Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) 

• Seats won in last election: 12 out of 150 

• Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats / Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten (Open VLD) 

• Seats won in last election: 12 out of 150 

• Workers’ Party / Parti du Travail de Belgique (PTB) 

• Seats won in last election: 12 out of 150 

• Socialist Party Different / Socialistische Partij Anders (sp.a) 

• Seats won in last election: 9 out of 150 

• Green / Groen 

• Seats won in last election: 8 out of 150 

• Humanist Democratic Centre / Centre Démocrate Humaniste (cdH) 

• Seats won in last election: 5 out of 150 

• Democratic, Federalist, Independent / Démocrate Fédéraliste Indépendant (DéFI) 

• Seats won in last election: 2 out of 150

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 11,685,810 (2022 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 1,373,924 (2024)

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 5,911,750 (2022 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 10 July 1985 

• Gender Quota:  The first two candidates and the first two substitute candidates on each party list must not be of the same gender. 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 64 out of 150 (42.7%) in the Chamber of Representatives and 26 out of 60 (43.3%) in the Senate 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.942, Very High, Rank 12 (2022) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 7.4 (2023)

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 2 July 2009  

• Projected population with a disability: 1,869,730 (2022 est.)

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Belgium: No   

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 3 judgments and 26 resources