Groen (political party)

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Green
Groen
PresidentNadia Naji and
Jeremie Vaneeckhout
Founded1982; 42 years ago (1982)
HeadquartersVan Orleystraat 5-11, 1000 Brussel, Belgium
Youth wingYoung Green
Membership (2018)Increase 10,000[1]
IdeologyGreen politics[2]
Pacifism
Progressivism
Political positionCentre-left
Regional affiliationSocialists, Greens and Democrats[3]
European affiliationEuropean Green Party
International affiliationGlobal Greens
European Parliament groupThe Greens–European Free Alliance
Francophone counterpartEcolo
Colours  Teal
Chamber of Representatives
8 / 88
(Flemish seats)
Senate
4 / 35
(Flemish seats)
Flemish Parliament
14 / 124
Brussels Parliament
4 / 17
(Flemish seats)
European Parliament
1 / 12
(Flemish seats)
Flemish Provincial Councils
21 / 175
Mayors
1 / 300
Website
www.groen.be
Part of a series on
Green politics
Sunflower symbol
Core topics
Four pillars
Perspectives
Organizations
Related topics

Groen (lit. 'Green', [ɣruːn] ⓘ), founded as Agalev, is a green[2][4] Flemish political party in Belgium. The main pillars of the party are social justice, human rights, and ecologism.[5] Its French-speaking equivalent is Ecolo; the two parties maintain close relations with each other.

Political views

Groen is a progressive Flemish party that, as the name itself suggests, considers environmental and climate policy very important. The party wants to combine this with attention to social justice, equal opportunities, human rights and quality of life. In other words, the party wants to protect the planet, but wants to do so by paying attention to the weakest in society. The party therefore wants good and affordable health care and to tackle poverty. In order to afford these initiatives, the party expect the richest people and the biggest polluters in society to contribute more.[5]

History

Agalev

In 1979, the green party was founded by name of "Agalev", an acronym of "Anders Gaan Leven" ("Towards Different Living").[6] During the eighties, the party was known for being against nuclear weapons, and for being pro-Europe.[7][8]

In the elections of 1999, Agalev scored 7% federally and 11% regionally (in Flanders). The Flemish greens were part of the "purple-green" federal coalition of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from 12 July 1999 until 18 May 2003. In this federal government, Magda Aelvoet was Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Public Health and the Environment. She resigned in 2002 due to her opposition of a Belgian arms delivery to Nepal, and was succeeded by fellow party member Jef Tavernier.[9]

In the Flemish government after these elections, Agalev held the minister responsibilities for well-being, health and equal opportunities (Mieke Vogels) and agriculture and environment (Vera Dua).

In the federal elections of 2003, Agalev scored less than 5% and lost all their seats (on the federal level). The next day, Jos Geysels resigned as party leader.[10][5]

Omvorming tot Groen! (2003)

Vera Dua got elected as chairperson, and on the same day, the party's name was changed to Groen! (Green!). The party got between 5 and 10% of the votes through the elections of the early 00's. They did not participate in a governmental coalition (on any level higher than local).

Groen (2012 - current)

In 2012 the party decided to drop de exclamation mark of their name.

After the local and provincial elections of 2014, Groen had a mandate for the first time in the province of Flemish-Brabant. In 2018 the province of East-Flanders followed. The results in Flemish-Brabant had improved though Green wasn't part of the coalition anymore after these elections.

In 2019, there were elections on the regional, federal and European level. At this time the school strike for climate movement had dominated the media, so the party Groen was expected to grow substantially. An total victory didn't happen though the party gained seats on all levels.[11]

On the regional level of Brussels-Capital, Groen participated in a red-green-blue coalition.[12] Elke Van den Brandt became Minister of Mobility, Public Works, and Road Safety.[13]

On the federal level, a new government wasn't formed until 17 March 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak urged a minority government with extra plenary powers to be formed. After 6 months a 'regular' majority government was formed and the Vivaldi coalition was sworn in with 2 Groen ministers. Petra De Sutter became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Civil Service, Public Enterprises, Telecommunication and Postal Services, as Europe's first transgender deputy prime minister. Tinne Van der Straeten holds the Ministry of Energy.

In 2012 the members of Groen elected new party leaders: the duo Nadia Naji and Jeremie Vaneeckhout, and the logo changed from green only to a more colourful background.[14]

Party chairperson

Co-presidents Nadia Naji and Jeremie Vaneeckhout
Name From Until Vice-chairperson Comments
1 Leo Cox 28 March 1982 7 January 1989 not applicable Spokesperson
2 Johan Malcorps 7 January 1989 6 June 1995 not applicable Spokesperson
3 Wilfried Bervoets 6 June 1995 24 July 1998 not applicable Spokesperson. Passed away in function. During his illness, Jos Geysels was acting spokesperson.
4 Jos Geysels 8 June 1998 21 June 2003 not applicable Spokesperson
5 Dirk Holemans 21 June 2003 15 November 2003 not applicable Spokesperson
6 Vera Dua 15 November 2003 10 November 2007 not applicable
7 Mieke Vogels 10 November 2007 25 October 2009 Wouter Van Besien (from 17 May 2008)
8 Wouter Van Besien 25 October 2009 15 November 2014 Björn Rzoska (until 19 January 2013)
Elke Van den Brandt (from 19 January 2013)
9 Meyrem Almaci 15 November 2014 11 June 2022[15] Jeremie Vaneeckhout (until 19 October 2019)
Dany Neudt (from 19 October 2019) 		Re-elected
10 Jeremie Vaneeckhout and Nadia Naji 11 June 2022[16] Incumbent not applicable

Representation

In this table the election results of Agalev/Groen!/Groen in House of Representatives, Senate and European elections is represented, as well as the results of regional elections for Flanders and Brussels. The party's political leadership is represented as well. If it was part of the governing federal coalition, then its minister is listed.

Year Belgian Chamber Belgian Senate European Parliament Flemish Parliament Brussels Parliament Federal Cabinet Party president*
1979 0 0 0 n/a n/a extra-parliamentary unknown
1980 0 0 0 n/a n/a extra-parliamentary unknown
1981 2 1 0 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1982 2 1 0 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1983 2 1 0 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1984 2 1 1 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1985 4 2 1 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1986 4 2 1 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1987 6 3 1 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1988 6 3 1 n/a n/a opposition Leo Cox
1989 6 3 1 na 1 opposition Leo Cox / Johan Malcorps
1990 6 3 1 na 1 opposition Johan Malcorps
1991 7 5 1 na 1 opposition Johan Malcorps
1992 7 5 1 na 1 opposition Johan Malcorps
1993 7 5 1 na 1 opposition Johan Malcorps
1994 7 5 1 na 1 opposition Johan Malcorps
1995 5 1 1 7 0 opposition Johan Malcorps / Wilfried Bervoets
1996 5 1 1 7 0 opposition Wilfried Bervoets
1997 5 1 1 7 0 opposition Wilfried Bervoets / Jos Geysels
1998 5 1 1 7 0 opposition Jos Geysels
1999 9 3 2 12 1 Magda Aelvoet Jos Geysels
2000 9 3 2 12 1 Magda Aelvoet Jos Geysels
2001 9 3 2 12 1 Magda Aelvoet Jos Geysels
2002 9 3 2 12 1 Magda Aelvoet Jos Geysels
2003 0 0 2 12 1 extra-parliamentary Jos Geysels / Dirk Holemans / Vera Dua
2004 0 0 1 6 1 extra-parliamentary Vera Dua
2005 0 0 1 6 1 extra-parliamentary Vera Dua
2006 0 0 1 6 1 extra-parliamentary Vera Dua
2007 4 1 1 6 1 opposition Vera Dua / Mieke Vogels
2008 4 1 1 6 1 opposition Mieke Vogels
2009 4 1 1 7 2 opposition Mieke Vogels / Wouter Van Besien
2010 5 2 1 7 2 opposition Wouter Van Besien
2011 5 2 1 7 2 opposition Wouter Van Besien
2012 5 2 1 7 2 opposition Wouter Van Besien
2013 5 2 1 7 2 opposition Wouter Van Besien
2014 6 3 1 10 3 opposition Wouter Van Besien
2015 6 3 1 10 3 opposition Meyrem Almaci
2016 6 3 1 10 3 opposition Meyrem Almaci
2017 6 3 1 10 3 opposition Meyrem Almaci
2019 8 4 1 14 4 coalition Meyrem Almaci
2024 6 1 9 4 TBD Nadia Naji / Jeremie Vaneeckhout

Members of the European Parliament

After the 2004 European Parliament elections, the party has one representative in the European Parliament: Bart Staes. The Green! delegation is part of The Greens–European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament. Together with the two MEPs of the Dutch GreenLeft he forms one transnational delegation.

Municipal government

Green! participates in several municipal governments. The party is especially strong in university cities like Leuven and Ghent.

Electorate

The six biggest Flemish political parties and their results for the House of Representatives (Kamer). From 1978 to 2014, in percentages for the complete 'Kingdom'.

The support of Green! has strongly fluctuated recently. It draws most of its support from Flemish voters who do not feel bound to the strong social organizations and pillars. The party is strongest in urban areas with concentrated student populations like Ghent and Leuven.

Green!'s support is distributed in the following way between the electoral districts in the 2014 general election:

Province Votes (%) 2011 Result (seats) 2011 Votes (%) 2014 Result (seats) 2014
Antwerp 7.7% 2 9.9% 2
Flemish Brabant 9.8% 1 8.7% 1
Limburg 4.8% 0 6.0% 0
East Flanders 7.4% 1 9.1% 2
West Flanders 6.3% 1 7.9% 1

Electoral results

Chamber of Representatives

Election Votes % Seats +/− Government
1977 2,435 0.0
0 / 212
 Extra-parliamentary
1978 5,556 0.1
0 / 212
 Steady 0 Extra-parliamentary
1981 138,575 2.3
2 / 212
 Increase 2 Opposition
1985 226,758 3.7
4 / 212
 Increase 2 Opposition
1987 275,437 4.5
6 / 212
 Increase 2 Opposition
1991 299,550 4.9
7 / 212
 Increase 1 Opposition
1995 269,058 4.4
5 / 150
 Decrease 2 Opposition
1999 434,449 7.0
9 / 150
 Increase 4 Coalition
2003 162,205 2.5
0 / 150
 Decrease 9 Extra-parliamentary
2007 265,828 4.0
4 / 150
 Increase 4 Opposition
2010 285,989 4.4
5 / 150
 Increase 1 Opposition
2014 358,947 5.3
6 / 150
 Increase 1 Opposition
2019 413,836 6.1
8 / 150
 Increase 2 External support (2020)
Coalition (2020–)

Senate

Election Votes % Seats +/−
1977 3,270 0.1
0 / 106
1978
0 / 106
1981 121,016 2.0
1 / 106
 Increase 1
1985 229,206 3.8
2 / 106
 Increase 1
1987 299,049 4.9
3 / 105
 Increase 1
1991 314,360 5.1
5 / 70
 Increase 2
1995 223,355 3.7
1 / 40
 Decrease 4
1999 438,931 7.1
3 / 40
 Increase 2
2003 161,024 2.5
0 / 40
 Decrease 3
2007 241,151 3.6
1 / 40
 Increase 1
2010 251,605 3.9
1 / 40
 Steady 0

Regional

Brussels Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/− Government
D.E.C. Overall
1989 4,821 1.1 (#12)
1 / 75
 Opposition
1995 3,906 1.0 (#11)
0 / 75
 Decrease 1 Opposition
1999[a] 13,223 21.8 (#4) 3.1 (#8)
0 / 75
 Steady 0 Opposition
2004 6,132 9.8 (#5) 1.4 (#10)
1 / 89
 Increase 1 Opposition
2009 5,806 11.2 (#5) 1.3 (#10)
2 / 89
 Increase 1 Coalition
2014 9,551 17.9 (#5) 2.1 (#9)
3 / 89
 Increase 1 Opposition
2019 14,425 20.6 (#1) 3.1 (#7)
4 / 89
 Increase 1 Coalition

Flemish Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/− Government
1995 267,155 7.1 (#6)
7 / 124
 Opposition
1999 451,361 11.6 (#5)
12 / 124
 Increase 5 Coalition
2004 308,898 7.6 (#5)
6 / 124
 Decrease 6 Opposition
2009 278,211 6.8 (#7)
7 / 124
 Increase 1 Opposition
2014 365,779 8.7 (#5)
10 / 124
 Increase 3 Opposition
2019 428,696 10.1 (#5)
14 / 124
 Increase 4 Opposition
2024 304,688 7.17
9 / 124
 Decrease 5 TBD

European Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/−
D.E.C. Overall
1979 77,986 2.3 (#5)
0 / 24
1984 246,712 7.1 (#5)
1 / 24
 Increase 1
1989 446,539 12.2 (#4)
1 / 24
 Steady 0
1994 396,198 10.7 (#5)
1 / 25
 Steady 0
1999 464,042 12.0 (#6) 7.5
2 / 25
 Increase 1
2004 320,874 8.0 (#5) 4.9
1 / 24
 Decrease 1
2009 322,149 7.9 (#6) 4.9
1 / 22
 Steady 0
2014 447,391 10.6 (#5) 6.7
1 / 21
 Steady 0
2019 525,908 12.4 (#5) 7.8
1 / 21
 Steady 0
  1. ^ In coalition with SP

Elected politicians

Current

Chamber of Representatives
Constituency Name Notes
Antwerp Province Antwerp Meyrem Almaci
Antwerp Province Antwerp Kristof Calvo
East Flanders East Flanders Stefaan Van Hecke
Flemish Brabant Leuven Eva Brems
West Flanders West Flanders Wouter De Vriendt
Senate
Type Name Notes
Directly elected Freya Piryns
Community Senator Mieke Vogels
European Parliament
Type Name Notes
Directly elected Bart Staes
Flemish Parliament
Type Name Notes
Antwerp Province Antwerp Imade Annouri
Antwerp Province Antwerp Wouter Van Besien
Antwerp Province Antwerp Ingrid Pira
Brussels Brussels-Capital Region Elke Van den Brandt
East Flanders East Flanders Elisabeth Meuleman
East Flanders East Flanders Björn Rzoska
Limburg (Belgium) Limburg Johan Danen
Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant An Moerenhout
West Flanders West Flanders Bart Caron

Provincial councilors

  • 2012–2018:
  1. Antwerp Province Greet Bockx
  2. Antwerp Province Tom Caals
  3. Antwerp Province Koen Kerremans
  4. Antwerp Province Diederik Vandendriessche
  5. Antwerp Province Loes Van Cleemput
  6. Antwerp Province Karin Van Hoffelen
  7. East Flanders Yasmina Beldjoudi
  8. East Flanders Inge De Bal
  9. East Flanders Elisabet Dooms
  10. East Flanders Jan Fiers
  11. East Flanders Rik Franck
  12. East Flanders Riet Gillis
  13. Flemish Brabant Stephan Boogaerts
  14. Flemish Brabant Luc Debraekeleer
  15. Flemish Brabant Luc Robijns
  16. Flemish Brabant Tie Roefs
  17. Flemish Brabant Sarah Sneyers
  18. Flemish Brabant Bernadette Stassens
  19. Flemish Brabant Erik Torbeyns
  20. West Flanders Alex Colpaert
  21. West Flanders Herman Lodewyckx
  22. West Flanders Gerda Schotte
  23. West Flanders Maarten Tavernier

Past

Chamber of Representatives

  • 1987–1991 (6):
  1. Jozef Cuyvers
  2. Wilfried De Vlieghere
  3. Jos Geysels
  4. Hugo Van Dienderen
  5. Wilfried Van Durme
  6. Mieke Vogels
  • 1991–1995 (7):
  1. Magda Aelvoet (until 20 July 1994) → Lodewijk Steenwegen
  2. Luc Barbé
  3. Wilfried De Vlieghere
  4. Vera Dua
  5. Jos Geysels
  6. Hugo Van Dienderen
  7. Mieke Vogels (until 11 January 1995) → Peter Luyten
  • 1995–1999 (5):
  1. Frans Lozie
  2. Jef Tavernier
  3. Hugo Van Dienderen
  4. Lode Vanoost
  5. Joos Wauters
  • 1999–2003 (9):
  1. Eddy Boutmans (until 12 October 1999) → Leen Laenens
  2. Anne-Mie Descheemaeker
  3. Kristien Grauwels
  4. Simonne Leen
  5. Fauzaya Talhaoui
  6. Jef Tavernier (until 28 August 2002) → Liliane De Cock
  7. Peter Vanhoutte
  8. Lode Vanoost
  9. Joos Wauters
  • 2007–2010 (4):
  1. Antwerp Province Meyrem Almaci
  2. West Flanders Wouter De Vriendt
  3. Brussels Tinne Van der Straeten
  4. East Flanders Stefaan Van Hecke
  • 2010–2014 (5):
  1. Antwerp Province Meyrem Almaci
  2. Flemish Brabant Eva Brems
  3. Antwerp Province Kristof Calvo
  4. West Flanders Wouter De Vriendt
  5. East Flanders Stefaan Van Hecke

Brussels Parliament

  • 1989–1995 (1):
  1. Dolf Cauwelier
  • 1999–2004 (1):
  1. Adelheid Byttebier (until 6 June 2003; replaced Mieke Vogels as Flemish minister) → Anne Van Asbroeck (SP.A)
  • 2004–2009 (1):
  1. Adelheid Byttebier
  • 2009–2014 (2):
  1. Bruno De Lille (became Brussels-Capital Region state secretary) → Elke Van den Brandt
  2. Annemie Maes

European Parliament

  • 1984–1989 (1):
  1. Paul Staes
  • 1989–1994 (1):
  1. Paul Staes
  • 1994–1999 (1):
  1. Magda Aelvoet
  • 1999–2004 (2):
  1. Patsy Sörensen
  2. Bart Staes (left Spirit for Groen! in July 2002)
  3. Luckas Vander Taelen (until 2002) → Jan Dhaene (left Groen! for SP.A in January 2004)
  • 2004–2009 (1):
  1. Bart Staes
  • 2009–2014 (1):
  1. Bart Staes

Flemish Parliament

  • 1995–1999 (7):
  1. East Flanders Vera Dua
  2. Antwerp Province Jos Geysels
  3. Antwerp Province Johan Malcorps
  4. Limburg (Belgium) Ludo Sannen
  5. East Flanders Jos Stassen
  6. Antwerp Province Ria Van Den Heuvel
  7. Flemish Brabant Cecile Verwimp
  • 1999–2004 (12):
  1. Flemish Brabant Magda Aelvoet (until 12 July 1999; became federal minister) → Ann De Martelaer
  2. West Flanders Veerle Declercq
  3. Antwerp Province Jos Geysels
  4. Flemish Brabant Eloi Glorieux
  5. East Flanders Dirk Holemans
  6. Antwerp Province Johan Malcorps
  7. West Flanders Frans Ramon
  8. Limburg (Belgium) Ludo Sannen (until 26 May 2003; replaced Vera Dua as Flemish minister) → Flor Ory (until 17 February 2004) → Ludo Sannen
  9. East Flanders Jos Stassen
  10. Antwerp Province Ria Van Den Heuvel
  11. Antwerp Province Jo Vermeulen
  12. East Flanders Vera Dua (became Flemish minister) → Isabel Vertriest (until 26 May 2003) → Vera Dua
  • 2004–2009 (6):
  1. Antwerp Province Rudi Daems
  2. East Flanders Vera Dua
  3. Flemish Brabant Eloi Glorieux
  4. East Flanders Jos Stassen
  5. West Flanders Jef Tavernier
  6. Antwerp Province Mieke Vogels
  • 2009–2014 (7):
  1. West Flanders Bart Caron
  2. East Flanders Elisabeth Meuleman
  3. Antwerp Province Dirk Peeters
  4. Flemish Brabant Hermes Sanctorum
  5. Brussels Luckas Vander Taelen
  6. Antwerp Province Mieke Vogels
  7. East Flanders Filip Watteeuw (until 31 December 2012)

Provincial councilors

  • 1985–1991:
  1. Province of Brabant Johan Hamels
  • 2006–2012:
  1. Antwerp Province Rita Boden
  2. Antwerp Province Ethel Brits
  3. Antwerp Province Tom Caals
  4. Antwerp Province Diederik Vandendriessche

Past election history

Groen candidates for Antwerp province (2014)

2010 federal election

Electoral arrondissement Main candidate
Chamber of Representatives Antwerp Meyrem Almaci
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde Tinne Van der Straeten
East Flanders Stefaan Van Hecke
Leuven Eva Brems
Limburg Toon Hermans
West Flanders Wouter De Vriendt
Senate Freya Piryns

See also

References

  1. ^ "Open VLD heeft de meeste leden en steekt CD&V voorbij". deredactie.be. 30 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Flanders/Belgium". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  3. ^ "Politieke fracties". Benelux Parliament (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  4. ^ Bale, Tim (2021). Riding the populist wave: Europe's mainstream right in crisis. Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-009-00686-6. OCLC 1256593260.
  5. ^ a b c "Waar staat Groen voor?" (in Dutch). VRT NWS. 2024-04-15.
  6. ^ "Integraal verslag van de plenaire vergadering op donderdag 29 okt 2015" (PDF) (in nl&fr). Belgische Kamer van volksvertegenwoordigers. 2015-10-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. ^ "Elections 24: what do the Flemish ecologists of Groen stand for?". vrtnws.be. 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  8. ^ "Belgium || Bomspotting. 2,000 Protest Against Nuclear Weapons". International Socialist Alternative. 2002-10-07. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  9. ^ "Belgium arms sale row deepens". 2002-08-27. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  10. ^ "Jos Geysels neemt ontslag als politiek secretaris Agalev". Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  11. ^ "Groen boekt winst, maar grote sprong vooruit blijft uit". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  12. ^ "Akkoord voor Brusselse regering is rond: mét Open VLD, zonder MR". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  13. ^ "De onopvallende minister-president, de brouwer en de vrouw achter paars-groen: dit is de nieuwe Brusselse regering". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  14. ^ "Groen heeft nieuw voorzittersduo: Jeremie Vaneeckhout en Nadia Naji halen het in de eerste stemronde". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). 2022-06-11. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  15. ^ "Meyrem Almaci stopt als voorzitter van Groen: "Het is nu aan andere mensen, dat zal Groen deugd doen"" [Meyrem Almaci quits as president of Groen: "Up to other people now, which will benefit Groen"]. vrtnws. 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  16. ^ "Groen heeft nieuw voorzittersduo: Jeremie Vaneeckhout en Nadia Naji halen het in de eerste stemronde" [Groen has new presidential duo: Jeremie Vaneeckhout and Nadia Naji win already in first round of elections]. vrtnws. 2022-06-11. Retrieved 2022-06-11.

External links

Media related to Groen (party) at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://mdwiki.org/wiki/Groen_(political_party)"