Prime Minister Bart De Wever will on Monday present to lawmakers a plan to abolish the Belgian Senate.
The proposal for eliminating the Upper House comes from the ruling majority, known as the Arizona Coalition, which included the plan in its list of institutional reforms.
The Senate has seen its responsibilities dwindle over the years, and they are now limited to constitutional matters, mediating in conflicts between parliaments, and drafting reports on issues involving multiple levels of government.
Who needs the Senate?
The proposal is co-signed by leaders of the Arizona Coalition parties – Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA), Mouvement Réformateur (MR), Les Engagés, Vooruit, and Christen Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V).
It argues that the Senate has become redundant, describing it as a largely inactive body with minimal legislative powers that can be abolished due to societal changes and the evolution of Belgium’s political structures.
A constitutional revision act passed at the end of the previous legislature paved the way for the reform, which included changes to several articles related to the Senate. However, not all relevant articles were addressed.
The current proposal suggests modifying Article 195 of the Constitution, which governs constitutional revisions, to make the changes apply strictly to matters concerning the Senate itself.
Representation of the regional and community parliaments
Once the Senate is abolished, its responsibilities would be transferred to the Chamber of Representatives.
However, the proposal does not clarify how federated entities would be represented in the absence of a Senate since senators currently act as representatives of regional and community parliaments.
The plan simply mentions that alternative forms of participation for these entities will be discussed, with no intention of creating a new, secondary chamber.
All eyes on the Socialist Party
Executing these reforms requires a two-thirds majority, which the Arizona coalition does not control on its own. The government agreement tasks the Prime Minister to seek broader parliamentary support without relying on “extremist votes.” Consequently, the coalition may turn to the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS), which supports abolishing the Senate but proposes replacing it with a citizens’ assembly.
For its part, the PS has made its support conditional on enshrining the right to abortion in the Constitution. This demand has drawn opposition from coalition member CD&V, which labelled the idea “misguided,” potentially creating friction and jeopardising the Senate abolition project.
