The executive branch of the Belgian federal government consists of ministers and secretaries of state ("junior" ministers or smaller departments) drawn from the political parties which form the government coalition. Formally, the ministers are appointed by the King. The number of ministers is limited to 15, 7 at least from each of the two main communities, and they have no seat in Parliament. The Cabinet is chaired by the Prime Minister. Ministers head executive departments of the government. A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... A political party is a political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power within a government. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ...

The Prime Minister and his ministers administer the government and the various public services. As in the United Kingdom, ministers must defend their policies and performance in person before the Chamber. Sometimes, ministers tend to be slow and vague in their explanations. Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. ...

At the federal level, executive power is wielded by the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is President of the Cabinet. Each minister heads a governmental department. The Cabinet reflects the weight of political parties that constitute the current governing coalition for the Chamber. No single party or party family across linguistic lines holds an absolute majority of seats in Parliament. The present Cabinet, the Guy Verhofstadt Cabinet, consists of the following members of the Flemish Liberal Party (VLD), the francophone Liberal Party (MR), the francophone Socialist Party (PS), the Flemish Socialist Party (SP.a) and its ally, SPIRIT. Guy Verhofstadt Guy Verhofstadt  Pronunciation (born April 11, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Belgium. ... The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) is a Flemish liberal party, created in 1992 from the former PVV and a few other politicians from other parties. ... The Mouvement Réformateur (MR) is a Belgian French-speaking liberal party, favoring a united Belgium. ... The Parti Socialiste or PS of Belgium is a French-speaking social democratic political party. ... Socialist Party - Different or Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Socialistische Partij - Anders or Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (sp. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Belgian political parties-Flanders ...

Principal government officials (protocol ranking)

• Prime Minister--Guy Verhofstadt (VLD)
• Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice -- Laurette Onkelinx (PS)
• Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance -- Didier Reynders (MR)
• Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Budget and Public Enterprises -- Johan Vande Lanotte (SP.a)
• Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior -- Patrick Dewael (VLD)
• Minister of Foreign Affairs -- Karel De Gucht (VLD)
• Minister of Defense -- André Flahaut (PS)
• Minister of Economy, Energy, Foreign Trade, and Science Policy -- Marc Verwilghen (VLD)
• Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health -- Rudy Demotte (PS)
• Minister of Middle Classes and Agriculture -- Sabine Laruelle (MR)
• Minister of Labour -- Freya Van Den Bossche (SP.a)
• Minister of Development Cooperation -- Armand De Decker (MR)
• Minister of Civil Service Affairs, Social Integration and Urban Policy -- Christian Dupont (PS)
• Minister of Transportation -- Renaat Landuyt (SP.a)
• Minister of Environment and Pensions -- Bruno Tobback (SP.a)
• State Secretary for State Informatisation, attached to the Minister of Budget and Public Enterprises -- Peter Vanvelthoven (SP.a)
• State Secretary for Modernisation of Finance and the Battle against Fiscal Fraud, attached to the Minister of Finance -- Hervé Jamar (MR)
• State Secretary for Administrative Simplicifation, attached to the Prime Minister -- Vincent Van Quickenborne (VLD)
• State Secretary for European Affairs, attached to the Minister of Foreign Affairs -- Didier Donfut (PS)
• State Secretary for Labour Organisation and Well-being at Work, attached to the Minister of Employment and Pensions -- Els Van Weert (SPIRIT)
• State Secretary for Family and Handicapped Persons, attached to the Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health -- Gisèle Mandaila Malamba (MR)

• Ambassador to the United States -- Frans Van Daele
• Ambassador to the United Nations -- Jean De Ruyt

The word protocol derives from a Greek phrase meaning first leaf, referring to the first draft of a treaty. ... Guy Verhofstadt Guy Verhofstadt  Pronunciation (born April 11, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Belgium. ... The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) is a Flemish liberal party, created in 1992 from the former PVV and a few other politicians from other parties. ... Laurette Onkelinx (born October 2, 1958) is a Belgian politician from the Socialist Party. ... PS or ps may stand for: PS at the end of a letter stands for the Latin word Post scriptum. ... In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical... Socialist Party - Different or Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Socialistische Partij - Anders or Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (sp. ... Patrick Dewael (born 13 October 1955, Lier), is a liberal Belgian politician. ... The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) is a Flemish liberal party, created in 1992 from the former PVV and a few other politicians from other parties. ... Karel De Gucht (27 January 1954, Overmere) is a former chairman of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD), a Belgian political party. ... The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) is a Flemish liberal party, created in 1992 from the former PVV and a few other politicians from other parties. ... PS or ps may stand for: PS at the end of a letter stands for the Latin word Post scriptum. ... The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) is a Flemish liberal party, created in 1992 from the former PVV and a few other politicians from other parties. ... Rudy Demotte (born June 3, 1963) is a Belgian socialist politician who currently serves as Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, in the Belgian federal government. ... PS or ps may stand for: PS at the end of a letter stands for the Latin word Post scriptum. ... In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical... Socialist Party - Different or Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Socialistische Partij - Anders or Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (sp. ... In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical... PS or ps may stand for: PS at the end of a letter stands for the Latin word Post scriptum. ... Socialist Party - Different or Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Socialistische Partij - Anders or Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (sp. ... Socialist Party - Different or Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Socialistische Partij - Anders or Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (sp. ... Socialist Party - Different or Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Socialistische Partij - Anders or Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (sp. ... In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical... Vincent Van Quickenborne (born August 1, 1973 in Ghent, Belgium) is a Belgian politician, as a member of the Belgian Liberal party, called the VLD. He has been Senator from 1999-2003, and is now Secretary of State (2003-) responsible for the simplification of the administration. ... The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten or VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) is a Flemish liberal party, created in 1992 from the former PVV and a few other politicians from other parties. ... PS or ps may stand for: PS at the end of a letter stands for the Latin word Post scriptum. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Belgian political parties-Flanders ... In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical...

background of ministers

it is important to note that a number of ministers owe their political positions to their respective dynasty. For example Ministers van den Bosche and Toback are the children of former political leaders/ministers.

See also

• Belgian federal parliament
• List of Governments in Belgium