Belgian political parties held €165 million in combined net assets at the end of last year – the highest amount ever recorded, according to statistics published by the House of Representatives.
The N-VA is by far the richest political party in Belgium, holding €34.1 million, although its assets have not increased since the previous year. The party has almost twice the campaigning resources as the second-placed Parti Socialiste (PS), which has a total of €18.8 million.
Vlaams Belang is the third richest party in Belgium, with €17.1 million in its accounts. Its coffers swelled significantly after its successes in the 2019 elections.
Belgium's French-speaking green party, Ecolo, has seen a surge in its treasury value. It now controls a similar amount of funds as Mouvement Réformateur (MR) at €14 million. Mainstream Flemish parties, such as CD&V, Vooruit and Open VLD, control between €10-13 million. Les Engagés and the PTB/PVDA also hold a similar amount.
Two parties have considerably less funds to dispense on advertising and campaigning. The Flemish greens (Groen) have net assets of €6.6 million. Brussels party Défi is dead last, controlling just €362,000 in assets.
Belgian political parties have been gradually building up their war chests in anticipation of elections next year. At the end of 2021, political parties held €157 million, compared to €133.5 million in 2020.
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With €165 million at the end of 2022, political parties have increased their wealth by 20% over the last five years. Going back even further, their assets have more than tripled. In 1999, the combined net assets amounted to just €56.4 million, according to a KU Leuven study on party financing.
This strengthening of party finances is only logical considering the challenges to come in 2024. Parties must scramble to secure votes for local, regional, Federal and European elections, which will all require advertising and campaigning spending.
