The Volksunie

In: From protest to power: autonomist parties and the challenges of representation, S. 27-49

Abstract

"Amongst European autonomist parties, the Volksunie (VU) is one of the most relevant for comparative research (De Winter, Gómez-Reino and Lynch 2006). The party represents the political expression of the oldest autonomist movement in Belgium, and one of the first to be successful in electoral and office terms in Western Europe. Of the three Belgian "federalist" parties, the VU has also possibly had the largest impact on the territorial re-organisation of the political system. Finally, the VU is an example of a "mature" autonomist party that has become a victim of its own success. Its second period in state-level government (1988-1991) triggered a decade of death throws, whilst its final governing experience (1999-2003) lead the party to split in 2001 into the left-liberal post-nationalist SPIRIT and the independentist-conservative Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA). The chapter demonstrates how the rapid passing of the thresholds of declaration, authorisation, representation and relevance did not pose major problems for the VU in terms of policy and organisational adaptation. However, passing of the threshold of government too frequently and with meager policy results, placed major pressure on the party's organisational structure and policy goals, and contributed to the eventual death of the VU." (author's abstract)