Belgium
Senate
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Data on women
Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.
Current representation
Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber
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Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
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60
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Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
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26
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Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
43.3%
Speaker
- Speaker
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Stephanie D'Hose (Female)
Date of birth: 01 Jun 1981 - Additional information
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Elected on 13 Oct. 2020, re-elected on 12 Oct. 2021, on 11 Oct. 2022 and on 10 Oct. 2023.
The President is elected after each renewal and at the beginning of the parliamentary term, on the second Tuesday of October each year, for a one-year term of office. The President may be re-elected.
Secretary general
No information available
Chairs of specialized bodies
| Specialized body | Theme | Name | Sex | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission on Cross-cutting issues - Community Competences | Gender equality | Latifa Gahouchi | Female | 62 |
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2019-07)
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Female | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 6 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| Total <= 45: 29 | Total >= 46: 31 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | |
| 41.7% | 23% | 18.3% | |
| 48.3% | 27% | 21.7% |
Reserved seats and quotas
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There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
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Yes
- Women
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20
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Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
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Yes
Notes: The Senate shall not have more than two thirds of its members of the same sex. It shall therefore be composed of at least 20 men and at least 20 women Senators.
Sources: Cf. Article 67 (7) of the Constitution stipulates that the Senate shall not have more than two thirds of its members of the same sex.
First woman in parliament
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Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
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1921
Notes: 1921: Coopted; total number from the minutes of the 21/12/1921 session
First woman speaker
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Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
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2004
Women’s suffrage
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
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1919
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Restricted
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Detail of restrictions
Suffrage: Restrictions detail
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Suffrage only given to widows or mothers of servicemen killed during World War One, citizens shot or killed by the enemy and women political prisoners
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
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1948
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Universal
Notes: The Law of 27 March 1948 gave all women the right to vote under the same conditions as for men. Women voted for the first time in 1949.
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Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
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1921
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Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
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No information available
Women's caucus
Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.
There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.