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The great promises that "Statistik" yielded in 19th-century Belgium did not materialize, at least as far as political statistics are concerned. In the second half of the 20th century, the output was rather limited & thus very incomplete, & not very professionally conceived & elaborated; their provision was disorganized & their orientation quite conservative, veiling inaccurate & biased categories. It is argued that a rebuilding is necessary, which should entail an inventory of existing statistical data & -- above all -- a master plan to achieve a straightforward view on the 3 P's in Belgium: polity, politics, & policy. A polyarchy has the right to & the need for in-depth information. Statistics are very handy tools with which to provide this information to both policymakers & citizens. Adapted from the source document.

Main political events of 1999 in Flanders (Belgium) are discussed. Following a description of the formalities, notably budget control issues, leading up to the June 13 elections, the results of the elections & the formation of the new Flemish parliament are described. Although the Christian democratic party CVP emerged as the largest party, it forfeited its governing rights; instead, a socialist/environmentalist coalition consisting of VLD, SP, Agalev, & VU-ID was formed. The development of budgetary agreements is summarized, & main elements of discussions & agreements in the following policy fields are addressed: economy & labor, infrastructure, environment, welfare, education, media, & state reformation. Since the Flemish parliament, established in 1995, is a relatively new institution, organizational & structural aspects of its departments are highlighted & explained, & the developmental processes of each department & office are emphasized. S. Paul

The organizational & formal structures of Belgium's francophone political parties are elucidated. For each party, the main conventions held in 1998 & 1999 are listed; subsequently, the composition & organization of the main party committee, the party bureau, & the main executive offices including dispute agencies are described. The party structure is explained; main representatives are listed; & membership numbers, party publications, & recent electoral results are presented. The following parties are discussed: Parti Socialiste, Parti Reformateur Liberal, the environmentalist party Ecolo, & Parti Social Chretien. S. Paul

The Christian Democrat/Socialist government Martens IV resigned at the end of Mar 1981, because the socialist party could not agree with an urgency plan to reorganize the public finances. Mark Eyskens, Minister of Finance in that cabinet, put together a new government in Apr & succeeded as Prime Minister. Robert Vandeputte, an extraparlementarian & honorary governor of the Central Bank, became the new Minister of Finance. Like preceding governments, the Eyskens cabinet was strongly hampered by deep mistrust between the coalition partners, opposing views between the two communities of Belgium, & disagreements about resolving the socioeconomic crisis. The Eyskens cabinet was particularly confronted with the organization of a restructured steel mill, increasing unemployment benefits, & the collapse of fiscal revenues. By mid-Sept, the government fell. Parliamentary elections were advanced to Nov. The Christian Democrats lost a considerable number of seats. A Christian-Democrat/liberal cabinet, again headed by Wilfried Martens, emerged by mid-Dec. It adopted a neoliberal policy, & Mark Eyskens became the Minister of Economic Affairs in the new government. Adapted from the source document.

On 13 June 1999, elections for the regional Parliaments, the federal Parliament (both House of Representatives & Senate), & the European Parliament were held in Belgium. The % of voters casting a preferential vote at these elections was the highest ever in Belgian history. On average, 60.9% of the electorate expressed their preference for one or more candidates. Although voters have the possibility to cast a multiple preferential vote (ie, a vote for several candidates figuring on the same party list), this possibility is not used very much: a voter who cast a preferential vote only voted on average for 1.73 candidates. The further increase in preferential votes was a little surprising since strong limitations were imposed on campaign expenditures & on commercial support. Political & social factors, eg, individualism, antiparty feelings, & mediatization, seem to have had a stronger impact on preferential voting than these material limitations. The use of the preferential vote varies from one constituency to another, from Flemings to Walloons, & from one party to another. There were some notable changes: the gap between the voters of the extreme-Right Vlaams Blok & the green parties Agalev & Ecolo, who traditionally cast less preferential votes, & voters of other parties, has diminished. Another important change is the decrease of preferential voting in some constituencies in Wallonia. As for the Senate & the European Parliament, more Flemings than Walloons now cast a preferential vote. The large constituencies used for these elections seem to attract very well-known politicians & as a consequence also many preferential votes in Flanders. Despite the increase in preferential voting, the order of the list composed by the party remained in most cases decisive whether or not a candidate was elected. 20 Tables, 1 Figure. Adapted from the source document.

Institutional issues to likely be dealt with in an early 2000 Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) for all members of the EU are identified & discussed, arguing that the rationalization of current agreements & a focus on institutional functioning & legitimacy would be more desirable than attempting to draft a European Constitution or largely symbolical catalogues of constitutional EU rights & competences. To accomplish better institutional functioning after a year in which the entire committee was suddenly fired, (1) organizational efficiency, (2) institutional openness, & (3) the perception of democracy -- through an increased sense of proximity to residents, better representation of voters' choices in the EU institutions, & increased accountability of individuals & member states -- are deemed essential. S. Paul