BE

Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a
constitutional monarch

Capital: Brussels

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (French: provinces,
singular--province; Flemish: provincien, singular--provincie);
Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg,
Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams Brabant, West-Vlaanderen
note: the Brussels Capitol Region is not included within the 10
provinces

Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King
LEOPOLD I to the throne in 1831)

Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993;
parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state

Legal system: civil law system influenced by English
constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent
Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March
1992)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch and approved
by Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch and then approved by Parliament

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or
Senaat in Flemish, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are
directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members
serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers in Flemish, Chambre des Representants in
French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on
the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies--last held 21 May 1995
(next to be held in June 1999)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--CVP 7, SP 6, VLD 6, VU 2, AGALEV 1, VB 3, PS 5, PRL 5, PSC 3,
ECOLO 2; note--before the 1995 elections, there were 184 seats;
Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by party--CVP 17.2%, PS 11.9%, SP
12.6%, VLD 13.1%, PRL 10.3%, PSC 7.7%, VB 7.8%, VU 4.7%, ECOLO 4.0%,
AGALEV 4.4%, FN 2.3%; seats by party--CVP 29, PS 21, SP 20, VLD 21,
PRL 18, PSC 12, VB 11, VU 5, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, FN 2; note--before
the 1995 elections, there were 212 seats