Flemish Liberals and Democrats
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Template:Politics 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 party has been in government since 1999. Since June 2003 it has formed the federal government with the cartel SP.a-Spirit, PS and the liberal MR. In the Flemish parliament the VLD formed a cabinet with SP.a-Spirit and the Christian Democrats.
Ideologically, the VLD started as a right-wing, somewhat Thatcherite party under its founder, Guy Verhofstadt. The VLD rapidly became a more mainstream party, after it reformed itself, endorsing the solidarity principle that is one of the corner-stones of the continental West-European states. From 2000 to 2004, during the second period of its participation in the Belgian federal government and under Belgian prime-minister Guy Verhofstadt, the VLD lost most of its ideological appeal. Several of its thinkers such as Prof. Boudewijn Bouckaert, president of Nova Civitas, heavily criticised the party. Many others resent the priority it has placed on the 'Belgian compromise', enabling the Walloon socialist PS to gain a dominant position in the formulation of Belgian government policy.
In 2004 the VLD teamed up with the politically marginal social liberal Vivant party for the Flemish and European elections. VLD-Vivant lost the elections to arch rivals CD&V and Vlaams Blok. The VLD fell from second to third place among the Flemish political parties, slipping narrowly behind the SP.a-Spirit cartel. Internal feuds, the support for electoral rights for immigrants and an unsuccessful economic policy were seen as the main reasons for its election defeat.
On the 19th of June 2004 the VLD successfully negotiated a regional coalition government with CD&V/N-VA, the Christian democrats and moderate nationalists, and with the social democratic SP.a-Spirit. In a federal cabinet reshuffle in July of 2004, VLD chairman Karel De Gucht replaced Louis Michel MR as minister for Foreign Affairs. Former Flemish prime minister Bart Somers is the new party chairman.
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Europe
The party is fairly pro-European, and holds three seats in the European Parliament, where it sits as a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) Group. Federal VLD prime minister Guy Verhofstadt was rejected as a candidate for the presidency of the European Commission in June of 2004.
International
The party is a member of the Liberal International, which is co-chaired by Annemie Neyts, member of the VLD.
Notable members
- Jean-Marie Dedecker
- Karel De Gucht, party leader (temporarily replaced in 2004 by Dirk Sterckx)
- Patrick Dewael, Minister of Internal Affairs
- Bart Somers, former minister-president of Flanders and current party leader
- Guy Verhofstadt, prime minister
Notable Former members
- Hugo Coveliers
- Ward Beysen, left the VLD to found his own political party Liberaal Appèl.
See also
- Liberalism
- Contributions to liberal theory
- Liberalism worldwide
- List of liberal parties
- Liberal democracy
- Liberalism in Belgium
External links
- Official VLD web site (http://www.vld.be)
- Vivant web site (http://www.vivant.be)
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