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Belgium

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Belgium Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government[1], is a process by which collective decisions are made within groups. ... Image File history File links Belgium_coa. ... The Kingdom of Belgium is a sovereign, independent state. ...

King Albert II Federal Government Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt Federal Parliament Senate Chamber of Representatives Political parties Elections Federal: 2003 Regional: 2004 EU Politics Foreign relations

See also History of Belgium

edit Belgian royal family Successive Belgian kings are 1831-1865: Léopold I (34) 1865-1909: Léopold II (44) 1909-1934: Albert I (25) 1934-1951: Léopold III (16) 1944-1950: Charles, reigned as Prince Regent 1951-1993: Baudouin I (42) Since 1993: Albert II (12) None of these... Albert II, King of the Belgians (Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Chrétien Eugène Marie de Belgique), (born June 6, 1934), is a European constitutional monarch and the current King of the Belgians. ... 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. ... This is a list of Prime Ministers of Belgium, known regionally as: Premier Ministre in French, Eerste Minister in Dutch, and Premierminister in German. ... Guy Verhofstadt Guy Verhofstadt  Pronunciation (born April 11, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Belgium. ... The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament, it consists of two chambers. ... The Belgian senate (Dutch: de Senaat, French: le Sénat) is one of the two chambers of the Belgian Federal Parliament. ... The Belgian Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: de Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French: la Chambre des Représentants) is one of the two chambers of the Belgian Federal Parliament. ... Belgium has a multi-party political system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. ... Elections in Belgium gives information on election and election results in Belgium. ... The May 18, 2003 Belgian general elections were the first Belgian elections to be held under a new electoral code. ... On June 13, 2004, regional elections were held in Belgium, to choose representatives in the regional councils of Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels, as well as in the German Community Council. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and intergovernmental union of 25 European states. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... The Concert of Europe sanctioned the creation of Belgium in 1830 on the condition that the country remain strictly neutral. ... The History of Belgium before the last 175 years is entwined into that of other European countries, notably that of the Netherlands and of Luxembourg. ...

Vivant is a small Belgian social liberal party founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats or VLD. Both parties are founded on the principle of individualism and can be called liberal. This is a list about liberalism and political parties around the world. ... Roland Duchâtelet is a millionaire businessman who turned his progressive liberal ideology into a political movement that he called Vivant. ... On June 13, 2004, regional elections were held in Belgium, to choose representatives in the regional councils of Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels, as well as in the German Community Council. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An alliance can be: an agreement between two parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. ... 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 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. ... Individualism is a moral, political, and social philosophy, which emphasizes individual liberty, the primary importance of the individual, and the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. It assumes that a person can be socially and culturally free of upbringing: deep-structure language(s), family(s) of origin, and both... Political Liberalism is an update to John Rawls 1971 Theory of Justice in which Rawls attempts to show that his theory of justice is not a comprehensive conception of the good, but is instead compatible with a liberal conception of the role of justice: namely, that government should be neutral...

Vivant is more economically liberal and progressive, advocating a basic income for all citizens. For those in the "wage" labour force, the basic income is an inalienable part of the legal minimum wage (approximately half of it for full time employment). In order to tax goods more evenly, where ever they are manufactured in order to respond to automatisation, globalisation and an ageing population, Vivant propose to shift taxes from labour to final consumption (All taxes in the chain of production are an inclusive part of the price paid by the consumers and could be considered as a consumption tax, each tax in each stage with his specific side effects.) Vivant also propose a flat tax on income in two steps, 0% on to 1350 Euro and 50% from there. The VLD does not support all of this measures. A guaranteed minimum income is a proposed system of income redistribution that would give each citizen a certain sum of money independent of whether they work or not. ... The minimum wage is the minimum rate a worker can legally be paid (usually per hour) as opposed to wages that are determined by the forces of supply and demand in a free market. ... Globalization is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that are the result of dramatically increased trade and cultural exchange. ... In demographics population ageing occurs when the average age of a regions population gets older. ... A sales tax is a tax on consumption. ... A flat tax, also called a proportional tax, is a system that taxes all entities in a class (typically either citizens or corporations) at the same rate (as a proportion on income), as opposed to a graduated, or progressive, scheme. ... 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. ...

Vivant also has Direct Democracy as one of his key points. Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein sovereignty was lodged in the assembly of all citizens. ...

In the regional elections of 2004, partner VLD lost heavily, dragging Vivant with it to third place among Flemish political parties. Although new interest for Vivant during the elections, the party remains a marginal force in Belgian politics. Vivant is also represented in the German-speaking community of Belgium with elected representatives in the Parliament of the German community . 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Flanders (Flemish, Fleming) (Dutch: Vlaanderen (Vlaams, Vlaming)) has two main designations: a geographical region in the north of Belgium, corresponding to the Flemish region, a constituent part of the federal Belgian state. ... Council of the German Speaking Community in Belgium (Eupen) Flag of the German-speaking community in Belgium The German-Speaking Community of Belgium (Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens in German, short DGB) is one of the three federal communities in Belgium. ... On June 13, 2004, regional elections were held in Belgium, to choose representatives in the regional councils of Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels, as well as in the German Community Council. ...

The abbreviation Vivant stands for Voor Individuele Vrijheid en Arbeid in een Nieuwe toekomst, which means "for individual freedom and work in a new future"

See also

• Liberalism
• Contributions to liberal theory
• Liberalism worldwide
• List of liberal parties
• Liberal democracy
• Liberalism in Belgium

This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... This is an (partial) overview of individuals that contributed to the development of liberal theory on a worldwide scale and therefore are strongly associated with the liberal tradition and instrumental in the exposition of political liberalism as a philosophy. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political current in specific regions and countries. ... This is an overview of parties that adhere more or less (explicitly) to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberalism by country | Belgian political parties ...

External link

• Vivant official site