Suchergebnisse

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 party executive is the most important organ within a political party especially in Belgium which is charaterised as one of the strongest particracies in Western Europe. Focusing on the functioning of the party executive within the CVP (1959-1960) and the BSP (1956-1957) at a moment both parties govern with the Liberal Party as coalition partner, the attendances and interventions within the party executive show a group of approximately fives persons playing a predominant role in the decision making process. In both cases the party president is the most important and powerful person. The almost complete absence of government membres within the party executive of the CVP forms a remarkabledifference to the BSP. The relationship between party and government is quite different in both parties. In the BSP the cooperation and support between party and government is much better than within the CVP.