In a Flemish television program on Sunday, Frank Vandenbroucke, the Minister of Health from Vooruit, expressed his desire for people to work longer and be motivated and rewarded to continue doing so. He emphasized the urgency of the situation. However, by sharing a viewpoint more commonly associated with right-wing and center-right parties in the federal government, Vandenbroucke has strayed from the path of his French-speaking socialist colleagues. Nevertheless, he maintained his commitment to investing in healthcare, social protection, and other leftist ideals. This shift in perspective raises the question of whether Vooruit and the Parti Socialiste are still aligned.
According to political scientist Pascal Delwit, the socialists in the north and south have become distinctly different parties, with Vooruit being more centrist than its French-speaking counterparts. During the 2024 election, the PS is expected to defend the increase in the minimum pension and maintaining the untouched index. Vooruit’s objectives are more elusive. Delwit noted that Vooruit is traveling a similar path to its predecessor, SP.A., by relying on a charismatic leader such as Conner Rousseau. However, Vooruit lacks personalities of the same caliber as Steve Stevaert and Johan Vande Lanotte.
Although Vooruit’s electorates have shifted somewhat, with higher scores in provinces such as West Flanders and Limburg, the Leuven exception still exists. Pascal Smets’s leadership of the party saw it abandon working-class circles in the north of Brussels.
Sunday in a Flemish television program, the Minister of Health, Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) declared that he wanted “qthat people can work longer and are motivated and rewarded to be able to work longer”. “It’s urgent”, he asserted. By thus espousing a will that is found more in the right-wing and center-right parties of the federal government, the Flemish socialist has taken the argument of his French-speaking socialist counterparts the wrong way. Admittedly, the same Vandenbroucke declared, in the process, that the savings that the Belgian State must achieve will make it possible to “investing in health care, social protection and so many other things” – remarks which nevertheless suggest that he has not abandoned all the historical fundamentals of the left. The question nevertheless arises: are the two “brother” parties still on the same wavelength?
Although they once once more share the same seat on Boulevard de l’Empereur, the socialists in the north and south of the country have in fact become two very different parties. For ULB political scientist Pascal Delwit, it is obvious that the PS and Vooruit “present two different ideological and programmatic profiles. The PS remains very rooted in social issues – wages, pensions, working conditions, etc. – while Vooruit, already at the crossroads of the 20th and 21st centuries, has changed focus and electoral profile. It is less profiled than the PS on the social question”.
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A party from the center
And even if he is on the left in the whole Flemish political landscape, “Vooruit is a centrist party” compared to French-speaking parties. “I would even say that it is difficult to clearly define Vooruit’s current focus”, believes the political scientist. Pascal Delwit also specifies that during the 2024 election, we can clearly see what victories the PS will defend – namely “the increase in the minimum pension and the fact that the index has not been touched” – while “for Vooruit, it is less clear”.
According to the political scientist, Vooruit is following the same path taken by the SP.A. (its former name) in 2002-2003, relying on a charismatic leader – Patrick Janssens at the time, Conner Rousseau today. “Rousseau crushes everything on social networks. He was first a group leader in the Flemish Parliament, he became president when he was still a complete stranger or almost. Nevertheless, unlike the time of the presidency of Patrick Janssens who might rely on other strong personalities like Steve Stevaert, Johan Vande Lanotte, etc., today within the party “we do not see the emergence of other figures or a new generation”.
With the exception of Frank Vandenbroucke, of course, but the latter does not really embody the future. “The choice of Vandenbroucke as Minister of Health was logical at the time, it was a choice marked by the moment, namely the management of a pandemic. Vandenbroucke, for a number of years, has embodied the right wing of the party”. Pascal Delwit even wonders if the latter’s recent statements will not cause Vooruit to lose “what remains to him of the working class electorate”.
The Leuven exception
In fact, the electorate of the Flemish socialists has evolved over time. “Where the PS still has a significant operational density, even if it is no longer as strong as before, with a stronger municipal anchorage, the electorate of Vooruit has moved”, explains Pascal Delwit. The political scientist specifies that, “pin the past, the vote for the SP.A was very strong in Antwerp, Ghent and Mechelen. Now it has become more peripheral with higher scores in West Flanders and partly in Limburg”. Nevertheless, even in these two provinces, Vooruit lost mayorships. “In 2018, the SP.A was bled in the municipal with the losses of Ostend, Bruges and Hasselt, in addition to Ghent”. However, there remains the Leuven exception, but “this does not percolate for the whole of the province of Flemish Brabant”.
And Brussels then? “Historically, the party had consistency in the municipalities north of Brussels. However, there is a downward trend in the Dutch-speaking population in these municipalities and then the party bet on a leader like Pascal Smets who abandoned the working class circles in the north of Brussels”.
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In conclusion, the ideological and programmatic differences between the PS and Vooruit have become more apparent in recent years. While the PS remains deeply rooted in social issues, Vooruit has shifted its focus and electoral profile towards the center. With a charismatic leader like Conner Rousseau, Vooruit is following the same path as the SP.A in relying on one individual to carry the party’s message. However, the party’s lack of emerging figures and clear policy priorities for the 2024 election raise questions regarding the future direction of the party. As the Flemish socialist electorate evolves and shifts towards different regions, it remains to be seen whether Vooruit can adapt and maintain its position as a major political force.