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The Socialist Party[6] (French: Parti socialiste, pronounced [paʁti sɔsjalist], PS) is a social democratic[12] French-speaking political party in Belgium. As of the 2024 elections, it is the fourth largest party in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the second largest Francophone party. The party is led by Paul Magnette. The party supplies the Minister-president of the French Community (Rudy Demotte), and the Brussels-Capital Region (Rudi Vervoort). In the German-speaking community, the party is known as the Sozialistische Partei (SP).
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| Abbreviation | PS |
| President | Paul Magnette |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Preceded by | Belgian Socialist Party |
| Headquarters | National Secretariat Bd de l'Empereur/Keizerslaan 13, Brussels |
| Think tank | Institut Emile Vandervelde[1] |
| Youth wing | Movement of Young Socialists |
| Membership (2021) | 32,000[2] |
| Ideology | Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Regional affiliation | Socialists, Greens and Democrats |
| European affiliation | Party of European Socialists |
| European Parliament group | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats |
| International affiliation | Progressive Alliance Socialist International |
| Flemish counterpart | Vooruit |
| Colours | Red |
| Chamber of Representatives (French-speaking seats) | 16 / 61 |
| Senate (French-speaking seats) | 7 / 24 |
| Walloon Parliament | 19 / 75 |
| Parliament of the French Community | 28 / 94 |
| Brussels Parliament (French-speaking seats) | 16 / 72 |
| European Parliament (French-speaking seats) | 2 / 8 |
| Benelux Parliament | 3 / 21 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The PS is very commonly part of governing coalitions, and dominates most local authorities because of the extremely fragmented nature of Belgian political institutions, particularly in Francophone areas. In the years since 1999, the PS has simultaneously controlled five regional executive bodies: the Government of the French Community, the Walloon Government, the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the COCOF, a local subsidiary in Brussels of the French Community Government, and the Government of the German-speaking Community.
The party, or its members, have from time to time been brought into connection with criminal activities and political scandals, mostly concerning bribery and financial fraud (Cools assassination, Agusta scandal, Dassault Affair, Carolorégienne affair, ICDI affair). The Carolorégienne affair caused Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe to step down as Minister-President of the Walloon region.
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The PS performed well in the 2003 general election but were overtaken as the largest Francophone party by the Reformist Movement in the 2007 general election.
In the 10 June 2007 general elections, the party won 20 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 4 out of 40 seats in the Senate. The PS was a member of the Leterme I Government, Van Rompuy I Government, Leterme II Government and currently the Di Rupo I Government of 6 December 2011, with former PS leader Elio Di Rupo serving as Prime Minister of Belgium.
Timeline
Results for the Chamber of Representatives, in percentages for the Kingdom of Belgium.
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The PS is a centre-left party.[13] Its ideology and image are a mix of social democracy and modern electoral marketing. In its political program, the party identifies as progressive and eco-socialist.[14]
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Chairmen
- André Cools, 1978–1981 (previously leader of the Walloon branch of the BSP/PSB)
- Guy Spitaels, 1981–1992
- Philippe Busquin, 1992–1999
- Elio Di Rupo, 1999–2011
- Thierry Giet, 2011–2013 (ad interim)
- Paul Magnette, 2013–2014 (ad interim)
- Elio Di Rupo, 2014–2019
- Paul Magnette, 2019–
Other
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Chamber of Representatives
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 689,876 | 12.5 | 31 / 212 |
Coalition | |
| 1981 | 733,137 | 12.2 | 35 / 212 |
 4 |
Opposition |
| 1985 | 834,488 | 13.8 | 35 / 212 |
 0 |
Opposition |
| 1987 | 961,361 | 15.6 | 40 / 212 |
5 |
Coalition |
| 1991 | 831,199 | 13.5 | 35 / 212 |
 5 |
Coalition |
| 1995 | 720,819 | 11.9 | 21 / 150 |
14 |
Coalition |
| 1999 | 631,653 | 10.2 | 19 / 150 |
2 |
Coalition |
| 2003 | 855,992 | 13.0 | 25 / 150 |
6 |
Coalition |
| 2007 | 724,787 | 10.9 | 20 / 150 |
5 |
Coalition |
| 2010 | 894,543 | 13.7 | 26 / 150 |
6 |
Coalition |
| 2014 | 787,165 | 11.7 | 23 / 150 |
3 |
Opposition |
| 2019 | 641,623 | 9.5 | 20 / 150 |
3 |
External support (2020) |
| Coalition (2020–) | |||||
| 2024 | 561,602 | 8.0 | 16 / 150 |
4 |
TBD |
Senate
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 685,307 | 12.5 | 17 / 106 |
|
| 1981 | 755,512 | 12.7 | 18 / 106 |
1 |
| 1985 | 832,792 | 13.9 | 18 / 106 |
0 |
| 1987 | 958,686 | 15.7 | 20 / 106 |
2 |
| 1991 | 814,136 | 13.3 | 18 / 106 |
2 |
| 1995 | 764,610 | 12.8 | 5 / 40 |
13 |
| 1999 | 597,890 | 9.7 | 4 / 40 |
1 |
| 2003 | 840,908 | 12.8 | 6 / 40 |
2 |
| 2007 | 678,812 | 10.2 | 4 / 40 |
2 |
| 2010 | 880,828 | 13.6 | 7 / 40 |
3 |
Regional
Brussels Parliament
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.E.C. | Overall | |||||
| 1989 | 96,189 | 22.0 (#1) | 18 / 75 |
Coalition | ||
| 1995 | 88,370 | 21.4 (#2) | 17 / 75 |
1 |
Coalition | |
| 1999 | 68,307 | 18.6 (#3) | 16.0 (#3) | 13 / 75 |
4 |
Coalition |
| 2004 | 130,462 | 33.4 (#1) | 28.7 (#1) | 26 / 89 |
13 |
Coalition |
| 2009 | 107,303 | 26.2 (#2) | 23.3 (#2) | 21 / 89 |
5 |
Coalition |
| 2014 | 108,755 | 26.6 (#1) | 23.5 (#1) | 21 / 89 |
|
Coalition |
| 2019 | 85,530 | 22.0 (#1) | 18.7 (#1) | 17 / 89 |
4 |
Coalition |
| 2024 | 85,929 | 22.1 (#2) | 16 / 89 |
1 |
TBD | |
Walloon Parliament
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 665,986 | 35.2 (#1) | 30 / 75 |
Coalition | |
| 1999 | 560,867 | 29.4 (#1) | 25 / 75 |
5 |
Coalition |
| 2004 | 727,781 | 36.9 (#1) | 34 / 75 |
9 |
Coalition |
| 2009 | 657,803 | 32.8 (#1) | 29 / 75 |
5 |
Coalition |
| 2014 | 626,473 | 30.9 (#1) | 30 / 75 |
1 |
Coalition (2014–2017) |
| Opposition (2017–2019) | |||||
| 2019 | 532,422 | 26.2 (#1) | 23 / 75 |
7 |
Coalition |
| 2024 | 480,003 | 23.2 (#2) | 19 / 75 |
4 |
Opposition |
German-speaking Community Parliament
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6,407 | 16.3 | 4 / 25 |
0 |
Opposition |
| 1995 | 5,958 | 16.1 | 4 / 25 |
0 |
Coalition |
| 1999 | 5,519 | 15.0 | 4 / 25 |
0 |
Coalition |
| 2004 | 6,903 | 19.0 | 5 / 25 |
1 |
Coalition |
| 2009 | 7,231 | 19.3 | 5 / 25 |
0 |
Coalition |
| 2014 | 6,047 | 16.1 | 4 / 25 |
1 |
Coalition |
| 2019 | 5,820 | 14.8 | 4 / 25 |
0 |
Coalition |
| 2024 | 5,473 | 13.7 | 3 / 25 |
1 |
Opposition |
European Parliament
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| Election | List leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | EP Group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.E.C. | G.E.C. | F.E.C. | G.E.C. | Overall | |||||
| 1979 | Anne-Marie Lizin (F.E.C.) | 575,824 | — | 27.43 (#1) | — | 10.58 | 4 / 24 |
New | SOC |
| 1984 | Ernest Glinne (F.E.C.) | 762,293 | — | 34.04 (#1) | — | 13.32 | 5 / 24 |
1 | |
| 1989 | Ernest Glinne (F.E.C.) | 854,207 | — | 38.13 (#1) | — | 14.48 | 5 / 24 |
0 | |
| 1994 | José Happart (F.E.C.) Unclear (G.E.C.) |
680,142 | 4,820 | 30.44 (#1) | 12.57 (#5) | 11.48 | 3 / 25 |
2 |
PES |
| 1999 | Philippe Busquin (F.E.C.) Charles Servaty (G.E.C.) |
596,567 | 4,215 | 25.78 (#2) | 11.42 (#4) | 9.59 | 3 / 25 |
0 | |
| 2004 | Elio Di Rupo (F.E.C.) Werner Baumgarten (G.E.C.) |
878,577 | 5,527 | 36.09 (#1) | 14.94 (#3) | 13.54 | 4 / 24 |
1 | |
| 2009 | Jean-Claude Marcourt (F.E.C.) Resi Stoffels (G.E.C.) |
714,947 | 5,658 | 29.10 (#1) | 14.63 (#4) | 10.88 | 3 / 22 |
1 |
S&D |
| 2014 | Marie Arena (F.E.C.) Antonios Antoniadis (G.E.C.) |
714,645 | 5,835 | 29.29 (#1) | 15.12 (#4) | 10.68 | 3 / 21 |
0 | |
| 2019 | Paul Magnette (F.E.C.) Matthias Zimmermann (G.E.C.) |
651,157 | 4,655 | 26.69 (#1) | 11.42 (#4) | 9.74 | 2 / 21 |
1 | |
| 2024 | Elio Di Rupo (F.E.C.) Charles Servaty (G.E.C.) |
529,697 | 5,131 | 20.52 (#1) | 11.82 (#5) | 7.50 | 2 / 22 |
0 | |
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